Plasma

A Fourth State of Matter

Term Assignment
Thermodynamics (2ME303)

20BME008 Aryan Kargathra

20BME028 Dev Patel
20BME091 Atharva Prajapati
20BME123 Shlok Panchal
States of Matter :-
I. Mass
matter II. Volume (occupies space)

5 stages of matter
III. Solid
IV. Liquid
V. Gas
VI. Plasma
VII. Bose-Einstein condensate
  Fundamental state of matter

What is  Fourth state of matter

 Plasma - Ionized gas

Plasma? 


Positive ions
Free electrons
 Low pressure
 Very High Temperature
 React strongly with Electric field
and Magnetic field.

“Plasma should be considered first state of matter as it is what

all the states arises from.”
Discovery of
Plasma
 Discovered by Sir William Crookes in 1879
 Crookes Tube – Air Ionized
 Partial vacuum
 Electrically discharged Tube
 High Voltage through voltage coil
 Cathode rays, Stream of electrons
 Why is Plasma considered the Fourth State of Matter?
 Created by adding energy to a gas. IONIZATION
 Characteristics different from other states of matter
 99% visible matter in Universe made of Plasma
 Natural form of Plasma – Lightening
 Artificial forms of Plasma – Neon signals, fluorescent tubes and Television &
Computer Screens
 Fusion – New Nuclear power
 Less radioactive waste

 Safer than Nuclear power

 Complete & Incomplete Ionization
• Fully Ionized – Hot Plasma
• Fraction of molecules (E.g. 1%) ionized – Cold Plasma
 Electrons – several thousand degrees Celsius

 Cold Plasma in Plasma Technology

Thermal & Non Thermal Plasma

• Classified based on relative temperature of electrons, ions and neutrons
• Thermal Plasma – Thermal Equilibrium
• Non Thermal Plasma – Ions & neutrons [ R.T. ] and electrons [ hotter ]
 Types of Plasma
Plasma can majorly be divided on the basis of it’ s occurrence in the following three
types:

Plasma

Natural Artificial Terrestrial

Plasma Plasma Plasma
 Natural Plasma

• Such plasmas exist at very high temperature or low

temperature vacuum.
• Extremely hot, temperature 20000°C
• Vaporises everything in contact
• It is the interplanetary, interstellar and
intergalactic medium
• It can be found in:
 Stars
 Solar winds
 Accretion discs
 Nebulae
 Artificial Plasma

• Such plasmas can be created by ionisation of

gases.
• Artificial plasmas are usually at high
temperatures.
• Low temperature plasmas are very hard to store
if not in a vacuum
• They react readily with any molecule around
them.
• Such plasmas are used in:
 Plasma displays (e.g. : TV screens)
 Arcs produced by Tesla coils
 Terrestrial Plasma
• Terrestrial Plasma is a layer of plasma in the outer
layers along with other matter of the earth’s
atmosphere
• This region extends from 80 to 600 kms above the
earth’s surface
• The plasma here is created by ionisation of gases due
to the UV light from the sun.
• The strength of the plasma increases as we move
away from the earth’s surface as the ionisation
increases.
• Plasma in many natural occurrences such as :
 Lightning
 The Northern Lights (Auroras)
 St. Elmo’s Fire
 Formation of Plasma

• A plasma is created when one or more electrons are torn free

from one or more atoms.
• Plasma is the result of this ionization process.
• Consists of positively charged ions and negatively charged
electrons.
• A plasma may be produced in the laboratory by heating a gas to
an extremely high temperature, which causes such vigorous
collisions between its atoms and molecules that electrons are
ripped free, yielding the requisite electrons and ions
• Another method uses an electric current
applied across a gas in a discharge tube and
a DC current is applied on it.
• This high potential difference causes the
electrons to leave the atom and go towards
the anode and the remaining positive ions to
the cathode.
• As the voltage increases and reaches
beyond the dielectric limit of the medium an
electric breakdown takes place.
• As more and more ions are created the
higher collisions increases the ionization.
 Properties of plasma
• Although Plasma includes ions, electrons
and neutral atoms , it is macroscopically
neutral as a whole because electron and
ions are equally balanced.

• A Plasma must have sufficient number of

charged particles as a whole, it exhibits a
collective response to electrical and
magnetic field. The motion of particles in
the Plasma generate fields and
electric currents from within Plasma
Density .
• Plasma are the most common form of
matter, comprising mare than 99% of the
visible universe.​

• This complex behavior makes
plasma unique
 DCS
Applications of plasma 

• Neon signs are also made

of plasma.

• The glowing gas in a
fluroscent bulb is Plasma.

• Plasma globes are also
used to make Plasma
in labs.

• Plasma televisions.

• Plasma driven lasers and

particle accelerators.
• Plasma cleaning is capable of eliminating oils and
grease down to the nanoscale. It can also reduce
various risks of contamination much more
efficiently than conventional cleaning processes.

• Plasma surface activation can make polymers

much more receptive to coatings and bonding
agents. 

•  Potential Future Use  is destruction of toxic

waste because it is capable of containing enough
energy to change the atomic structures of
substances, plasma could possibly be used to
completely eradiate very harmful toxic
substances.
References
 https://scied.ucar.edu/learning-zone/sun-space-weather/plasma
 https://www.britannica.com/science/plasma-state-of-matter
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plasma_(physics)
 https://futurism.com/plasma-the-fourth-state-of-matter-2
 https://scied.ucar.edu/learning-zone/sun-space-weather/plasma
 https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-662-04078-2_2
 https://aip.scitation.org/doi/10.1063/1.873701
 https://aip.scitation.org/doi/10.1063/1.873701
 https://www.energy.gov/science/articles/envisioning-future-fusion-
energy-and-plasma-research
Thank You!

Prepared and Presented by:

20BME008 Aryan Kargathra
20BME028 Dev Patel
20BME091 Atharva Prajapati
20BME123 Shlok Panchal