From: "Wayne G

From: "Wayne G. Dengel" <wgd.roaming@verizon.net>
Newsgroups: sci.physics.plasma
References: <b92uer$4mr$1@saturn.cs.uml.edu>
Subject: Re: CHARTER, WHAT IS A PLASMA? May 2003

Could you, would you pls relate this technology with that used in plasma
TVs? How has this science been applied?

Regards,
    Wayne

"John W. McKelliget" <John_McKelliget@uml.edu> wrote in message
news:b92uer$4mr$1@saturn.cs.uml.edu...
> Welcome to the sci.physics.plasma newsgroup.
>
> This is a monthly posting intended to introduce you to the
> newsgroup and to plasmas in general.
>
> CONTENTS:
>
>           1. Statistics
>           2. sci.physics.plasma Archive
>           3. Role of Moderator
>           4. Current Moderator
>           5. Previous Moderator
>           6. Problems
>           7. Charter
>           8. What is a Plasma?
>           9. Plasma Related Links
>
>
> 1. STATISTICS:
>
> In April 2003 19 articles were approved for posting to
> sci.physics.plasma
>
> 2. SCI.PHYSICS.PLASMA ARCHIVE:
>
> These, and all previous postings to the newsgroup, can be found in
> the sci.physics.plasma archive which is currently unavailable , but is
being worked on.
>
>
> 3. ROLE OF MODERATOR:
>
>
> sci.physics.plasma is a moderated newsgroup.
> All postings are sent to the moderator who checks to see that the
> posting conforms to the newsgroup's charter. The moderator is not an
> editor or censor and should not be considered at fault for any incorrect
> information appearing in the newsgroup.
>
> 4. CURRENT MODERATOR: (since July 1996)
>
> John W. McKelliget
> Dept. of Mechanical Engineering
> University of Massachusetts
> Lowell, MA 01854
> mailto:John_McKelliget@uml.edu
> http://jmckelliget.eng.uml.edu/
>
> 5. PREVIOUS MODERATOR AND NEWSGROUP INITIATOR:
>
> sci.physics.plasma was initiated by Tim Eastman (plasmas@bellatlantic.com)
in
> July 1994
>
> 6. PROBLEMS:
>
> If you are experiencing problems posting to sci.physics.plasma or in
> using the archive please contact the current moderator at his email
> address. If your newsreader does not allow you to post to newsgroups
> you can email your post to sci-physics-plasma@uunet.uu.net
>
> 7. CHARTER: NEWSGROUP for Plasma Science and Technology
>
> Plasmas are as rich as any other state of matter in terms of distinct
> processes and they encompass distinguishable scales ranging from the
> atomic to the galactic. Opportunities in plasma science and technology
> reflect this breadth in phenomena and scales; one recent list contains
> close to 200 subject areas and more than 90 applications areas including
> thin-film diamond deposition, toxic waste disposal, plasma arcs for
> steel processing, laser self-focusing, fusion for energy production, gas
> and arc lamps, cutting and welding, and semiconductor production.
>
> The Plasma Science and Technology research community seeks an increased
> dialogue among its multifarious constituencies. The NEWSGROUP for Plasma
> Science and Technology is intended as a community forum for sharing new
> developments and bringing researchers together for potential new
> collaborations. The newsgroup also provides a forum for public outreach
> and education. Postings from students and the general public are
> welcome as we all help one another in learning more about the "fourth
> state of matter" and its enormous range
> of applications.
>
> 8. WHAT IS A PLASMA?:
>
> The loosest definition of a plasma is that it is an electrically
> conducting gas. At normal temperatures and pressures gases are usually
> very good electrical insulators. This is because the electrons in the
> gas are tightly bound inside gas atoms and are not free to move in
> response to externally applied electric or magnetic fields.
>
> Under certain conditions, however, some or all of the electrons can be
> removed from their parent atoms, a process called ionization. The gas
> then consists of a mixture of negatively charged electrons, positively
> charged atoms, called ions, and un-ionized neutrally charged atoms. Now
> the electrons and ions are free to move under the action of applied
> electromagnetic fields and the gas can conduct electricity. Due to
> their much smaller mass the electrons respond to the applied fields much
> more readily than the ions and, consequently, carry most of the
> current.   Since electrons and ions are produced in pairs and have
> opposite charges most of the plasma remains electrically neutral.
>
> There are three principal methods for ionizing a gas. The first, called
> field ionization, involves applying an extremely high electrical field
> that acts on the electrons in a neutral atom and essentially disrupts
> the atom. The second, called thermal ionization, involves raising the
> temperature of the gas until collisions knock electrons out of the
> atoms. Thus, a plasma does not have to be "hot", although some are
> extremely so. The third method involves bombarding the gas with
> high energy radiation or other sub-atomic particles.
>
> Because the properties of a plasma are so very diferent from those of a
> neutral gas the plasma state is sometimes called " the fourth state of
> matter ".
>
> In practice the plasma state covers an extremely large range of
> temperature and pressure, from the gas in the fluorescent lamps in your
> house to the fusion reactions in the center of the sun. Although you
> may have to search for a plasma in your daily life, most of the visible
> matter in the universe is in the plasma state.
>
> Technological applications of plasmas include: fluorescent lights,
> welding arcs, steelmaking furnaces, experimental fusion reactors,
> semiconductor processing, flat panel displays,
> photovoltaics, solar coatings, architectural coatings,
> and hazardous waste processing.
>                                 - J. McKelliget 1998
>
> 9. PLASMA RELATED LINKS:
>
> "The Plasma State" an essay commisioned by the American Physical Society
> Division of Plasma Physics
> http://w3fusion.ph.utexas.edu/aps/plasmaState/PPSPage1.html
>
> Plasma science & technology homepage
> http://www.plasmas.org/
>
> Extensive additional plasma material can be found at
> http://plasma-gate.weizmann.ac.il/PlasmaI.html
> http://personal.lig.bellsouth.net/lig/i/n/infonet/Plasma.htm
>
> Listings of upcoming plasma conferences can be found at the following
> sites
> http://hibp7.ecse.rpi.edu/~connor/ieee/plasma_meetings
> http://plasma-gate.weizmann.ac.il/CoAPP.html
> http://www.nifs.ac.jp/jspf/cldr-e.html
>
>
>
>
>