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Plasma - What It Is, What It isn’t

Plasma - What It Is, What It isn’t. A Shocking Exposé with Investigations by McGourty and Rideout. 4 th State of Matter. Superheated gas Has absorbed enough energy to allow electrons to break free from atoms (free electrons) Made up of free electrons and positive ions

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Plasma - What It Is, What It isn’t

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  1. Plasma - What It Is, What It isn’t A Shocking Exposé with Investigations by McGourty and Rideout

  2. 4th State of Matter • Superheated gas • Has absorbed enough energy to allow electrons to break free from atoms (free electrons) • Made up of free electrons and positive ions • Most abundant state of matter in the universe • You can find out more by visiting this cool website

  3. 4 States of Matter - This Shouldn’t Even Phase You

  4. Where Do We Find Plasma? • The Sun • Other Stars • The Ionosphere • Lightning • Neon Lights

  5. Properties of Plasmas • Remain electrically charged • Carry electric currents • Produce both electric and magnetic fields • Produce electromagnetic radiation • Has a characteristic frequency called the “plasma frequency”

  6. - + Plasma Frequency • Since plasma has both positive and negative charges, they are constantly oscillating back and forth. This results in a characteristic frequency called the Plasma Frequency • The plasma frequency is a resonant frequency of the ionized gas - it depends on the square root of the electron density

  7. Plasma and the Ionosphere • Radio waves can only penetrate the ionosphere if the frequency of the wave is higher than the plasma frequency; otherwise the signal is reflected back • We have to use high frequencies to communicate with satellites. • Frequencies lower than the plasma frequency have to be used to communicate with a radio station beyond the horizon so that the signal will be reflected back to Earth

  8. Why Do We Care About Plasma?

  9. Faraday Rotation • As a wave moves through a plasma, the polarization plane can rotate because of the influence of the magnetic field. This effect is known as Faraday rotation • Strength of magnetic fields can be measured using knowledge of rotation and electron density • Pulsars, heliospheric information - look at known source and changes in polarization due to FR to create models

  10. The solar wind causes energy changes in the incoming wavefront

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