Plasma has been called magic, it’s been called the fourth state of matter, well, come to think of it, it’s been called a lot of things, hasn’t it? As our scientists progress and humans travel to off-planet destinations, the study of plasma will continue to be an important part of the understanding we will need. If you will, consider the importance of plasma physics and this fourth state of matter, and why our future scientist will need to be well versed in the subject.
WikiPedia explains plasma this way; “In physics and chemistry, plasma is a gas-like state of matter in which a certain portion of the particles are ionized. The basic premise is that heating a gas dissociates its molecular bonds, converting it into its constituent atoms. Additional heating leads to ionization (a loss or gain of electrons), turning it into a plasma: containing charged particles, positive ions, and negative electrons,” and I’d say that pretty much sums it up.
But that’s not the half, because consider all the potential applications and uses, not just for spaceflight, propulsion, power generation, etc., but also for our understanding of matter in general, along with the universe we live in. . . If this topic interests you as much as it surprises me, perhaps I would like to recommend a very good book. One that I have and totally believe is the “best” book on the subject that I have seen. The name of the book is:
“Principles of Plasma Physics for Engineers and Scientists” by Umran S. Inan (Stanford University) and Marek Golkowski (University of Colorado, Denver), Cambridge Press, (2011), 284 pages, ISBN: 978-0-521-19372-6.
Yeah, this book is pretty expensive, and probably not for your average Joe curious about such things, the book I have here is a bound work and costs $100. Still, it’s worth it. The book describes the motions of individual particles, the kinetic theory of plasmas, the theory of multiple fluids, collisions and plasma conductivity, the introduction of waves in plasma, and plasma diffusion, among many other things. magnetization and temperature in plasma.
The appendix is excellent and for that alone it is worth the price as a solid reference to have on hand. If someone was teaching a class on plasma physics, this might be the best textbook, not to mention a perfect reference book to have on hand, which is what I use it for. In fact, if you are an engineer, scientist, graduate student, researcher, or want to be, you need this book, too. Please consider all this and think about it.