1. Plasma Electrons are free! … A fourth state of matter: Not gas, not liquid, not solid!

2. History, Terminology, & Discovery First identified by Sir William Crookes (1879) Termed by Irving Langmuir Ionosphere identified as plasma Van Allen Belts (1958)

3. Types of Plasma Artificially Induced Fluorescent lamps Neon Signs Plasma televisions Electric arcs (i.e. those created by a Marx generator,etc.) Laser-Produced Plasmas (LPP) Rocket exhaust Ion Thrusters Terrestrial & Astrophysical Stars (Sun) Ionosphere Aurora Borealis Lightning Most fires TLE

4. Plasma: A Fourth State of Matter Ionized “gas” Most are quasi-neutral Said: ~99% of matter Affected by E&M waves Characteristics Electron density: Temperature: Molecular Content Electron Plasma Frequency: Debye Length:

5. Plasma Physics Statistics, Mathematics, the Most General Case Maxwell-Boltzmann Distribution: particle density distribution Fluid Mechanics: Three particle, nonviscous intermingled fluids coupled through their equations of state and collision frequencies Maxwell’s Equations:

6. Wave Propagation Wave propagation highly dependent on electron plasma frequency:  If then the wave propagates through  If then the wave is deflected Propagation constant:  Approaches free space value:  Turns imaginary Deflection Case: Fields vary exponentially Phase-variation terms decay exponentially (the wave will decay as it propagates) e.g. Ionosphere reflects E&M radiation with frequency less than its plasma frequency

7. Example: If lightning were to propagate toward the ionosphere would it be deflected? Why or Why not? Ionosphere: Lightning: Answer: It will not be deflected as its frequency is larger than that of the ionosphere

8. References 1909, who valued professional, financial success as well as scientific inquiry, accomplishment, his summer position stretched into a lifelong career. He became known among his colleagues for his analytical mind, creativity, ambition, and excellent research skills.. "Irving Langmuir." Ziggo. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 July 2010. http://members.home.nl/arjen.boogaard/Irving%20Langmuir.html.http://members.home.nl/arjen.boogaard/Irving%20Langmuir.html "Brief History of Plasma Physics." Home Page for Richard Fitzpatrick. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 July 2010.http://farside.ph.utexas.edu/teaching/plasma/lectures/node5.html.http://farside.ph.utexas.edu/teaching/plasma/lectures/node5.html "Fields & Waves I v2." Plasma Dynamics Lab. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 July 2010. http://hibp.ecse.rpi.edu/~connnor/education/Fields/F09/.http://hibp.ecse.rpi.edu/~connnor/education/Fields/F09/ "Plasma (physics)." 2008/9 Wikipedia Selection for schools. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 July 2010. http://schools-wikipedia.org/wp/p/Plasma_%2528physics%2529.htm.http://schools-wikipedia.org/wp/p/Plasma_%2528physics%2529.htm "Plasma Physics -- History." NASA Polar, Wind, and Geotail Projects. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 June 2010. http://www-spof.gsfc.nasa.gov/Education/whplasma.html.http://www-spof.gsfc.nasa.gov/Education/whplasma.html "Plasma Physics." National Ignition Facility & Photon Science. N.p., n.d. Web. 1 July 2010.https://lasers.llnl.gov/programs/science_at_the_extremes/plasma_physics/.https://lasers.llnl.gov/programs/science_at_the_extremes/plasma_physics/ Riegel, ron. "Irving Langmuir - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia." Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 June 2010.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irving_Langmuir.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irving_Langmuir Uman, Martin A. Introduction to Plasma Physics. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1964. Print.