Christopher Barragan
Honors Chemistry Per. 7
Mr. Orbe
Plasma Research Paper Plasma is the fourth state of matter, the one almost no one talks about. Plasma occurs when air or as is ionized. It is created with conductive properties like metal. It is actually the most abundant form of matter, as most stars are in a plasma state. To think the biggest group of matter was unheard of until 1879. It was Sir William Crookes who first made the discovery. At the time, he called it “radiant matter.” Soon enough another physicist by the name of Sir J.J. Thomas identified the matter he had previously discovered. It was a cathode ray, which is a stream of electrons. The actual term of Plasma had not been used until 1928, when a Mr. Irving Langmuir coined the term. This was thought to be because of the glowing discharge’s ability to mold itself to the shape of the tube. There are many different examples of Plasma compounds such as the artificially created plasma used in plasma TVs. It was created to use heat to project images. Ion thrusters used on rockets also emit a plasma when activated. Fluorescent lamps and neon signs use an artificially made plasma. You may not know, but lighting is actually a plasma. Other stars and our very own sun are made of plasma, along with the solar wind. Some fires can also be made of plasma. Recently, for the first time, researchers have watched the sun’s magnetic field turn plasma into a spring-shaped curl. This weird occurrence is known as the coronal mass ejection, or CME. The new observations also prove one theory wrong. People thought these curls were pre CME’s, which cause disruption to our signals on earth. The new findings are interesting to say the least. A theory thought to be true of not only the sun and plasma, but of something in our universe was proven wrong. Not only was it disproved, but it was replaced with the new theory. This new theory is to be released in Astrophysical Journal Letters. This magazine will go more in depth and explain the theory and this occurrence. Plasma is everywhere, whether naturally occurring or artificial, and it is soon to be as recognized as solids, liquids and gas.

Citations * Plasma (physics). (n.d.). Retrieved September 17, 2014. * Coalition for Plasma Science - What is a plasma? (n.d.). Retrieved September 17, 2014. * Kross, B. (n.d.). Questions and Answers - What is plasma? Retrieved September 17, 2014. * Sumner, T. (2014, September 5). Plasma corkscrews form on sun during stellar eruption. Retrieved September 17, 2014.