Hot Topics in Cold Plasma Technologies

Plasma is described as a fourth state of matter, joining solids, liquids, and gases. A plasma is a mixture of ionized particles, free electrons, and some neutral atoms and molecules. Because the electrons have very high velocities, they have a calculated temperature in the thousands of degrees Kelvin, but the bulk of the plasma may remain cool to the touch.

Plasmas may be created by high temperatures or by electrical discharges. The atmosphere of the sun is a very hot plasma on which the earth de…