Natural and Man-Made Plasmas

To put it very simply, a plasma is an ionized gas. A gas into which sufficient energy is provided to free electrons from atoms or molecules and to allow both species, ions and electrons, to coexist.

Lightning is a familiar form of plasma

More Lightning Pictures

Fluorescent lights are a common man-made plasma

Photographs from Osram Sylvania

Microwave and Radio Frequency Plasmas are used in Semiconductor Fabrication

Image of the electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) microwave plasma used in our research.

Blumenthal Research Group