Plasma physics utilizes classical mechanics, electromagnetic theory and statistical physics. A plasma is a gas of charged particles (generally electrons and various ions) which interact with both externally applied electromagnetic fields and with fields they themselves generate. This interaction differentiates the behavior of plasmas from that of the more familiar gases.
Plasmas are of great physical interest for a number of reasons. Most of the matter in the universe is in the plasma state (e.g. stars, the interplanetary and interstellar media are all plasmas), and they are a potential source of energy. Deep in the core of stars hydrogen is fused into helium releasing huge amounts of energy. One long-term goal of plasma research is to replicate this process in the laboratory. There are two basic approaches to this problem: magnetic confinement and inertial confinement. In magnetic confinement schemes high temperature (T~108K) and high density (n~1014 particles/cm3) plasmas must be confined for a sufficient length of time (~1 sec) to initiate controlled thermo- nuclear fusion. Inertial confinement schemes attempt to initiate fusion burns by imploding fuel pellets using high power lasers or particle beams.
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