INDEX

1. Introduction
2. Discovery of Plasma
3. Properties of Plasma
4. Plasma waves
5. High Frequency Plasma
6. Generation of High Frequency Plasma
7. Presence of Plasma waves on Mars
8. Applications of Plasma
9. Conclusion
10.Bilbliography
10.
 INTRODUCTION
WHAT IS PLASMA?

 Plasma is one of the four fundamental states of

matter characterized by the presence of a
Significant portion of charged particles in any
combination of ions or electrons.
 Plasma is the most abundant form of ordinary
matter in the universe, mostly in stars but also
dominating the rarefied intracluster medium
and intergalactic medium.

 Plasma can be artificially generated by

heating a neutral gas or subjecting it to a
strong electromagnetic field.
 DISCOVERY OF PLASMA
 Plasma was first identified in laboratory by Sir
William Crookes. Crookes presented a lecture on
what he called "radiant matter" to the British
Association for the Advancement of Science, in
Sheffield, on Friday, 22 August 1879.
 Systematic studies of plasma began with the
research of Irving Langmuir and his colleagues in the
1920s. Langmuir also introduced the term "plasma"
as a description of ionized gas in 1928.

 Then, Lewi Tonks and Harold Mott-Smith, both of

whom worked with Langmuir in the 1920s, recall that
Langmuir first used the term by analogy with
the blood plasma.
 Mott-Smith recalls, in particular, that the transport of
electrons from thermionic filaments reminded
Langmuir of "the way blood plasma carries red and
white corpuscles and germs.

PROPERTIES OF PLASMA
 Density and ionization degree -
For plasma to exist, ionization is necessary. The term
"plasma density" by itself usually refers to the electron
density ne, that is, the number of charge-contributing
electrons per unit volume. The degree of ionization α is
defined as fraction of neutral particles that are ionized:
where ni is the ion density and n n the neutral density (in
number of particles per unit volume). In the case of fully
ionized matter, α=1 . Because of the quasineutrality of
plasma, the electron and ion densities are related
by n e= ⟨ Z i ⟩ ni, where Zi zzzzzzzzz is the average ion charge (in
units of the elementary charge).

 Temperature -
Plasma temperature, commonly measured
in Kelvin or electron -volts, is a measure of the thermal
kinetic energy per particle. High temperatures are usually
needed to sustain ionization, which is a defining feature
of a plasma. The degree of plasma ionization is
determined by the electron temperature relative to
the ionization energy(and more weakly by the density).
In thermal equilibrium, the relationship is given by
the Saha equation. At low temperatures, ions and
electrons tend to recombine into bound states—atoms—
and the plasma will eventually become a gas.
In most cases, the electrons and heavy plasma particles
(ions and neutral atoms) separately have a relatively
 well-defined temperature; that is, their
energy distribution function is close to a Maxwellian even
in the presence of strong electric or magnetic fields.
However, because of the large difference in mass
between electrons and ions, their temperatures may be
different, sometimes significantly so. This is especially
common in weakly ionized technological plasmas, where
the ions are often near the ambient temperature while
electrons reach thousands of Kelvin.

PLASMA WAVES

These waves are often observed in the Earth’s

magnetosphere, a magnetic field cavity around the
Earth.
 In general, plasma waves are identified as the short-
time scale fluctuations in the electric and magnetic
field observations.
 These plasma waves play an important role in the
energization and transport of the charged particles in the
Earth’s magnetosphere.
 Some of the plasma waves like electromagnetic ion
cyclotron waves act as a cleaning agent for the Earth’s
radiation belt, which is hazardous to our satellites.
 Knowing this scenario, researchers are curious to
understand the existence of various plasma waves in the
vicinity of unmagnetized planets like Mars.
 The planet Mars does not have any intrinsic magnetic
field therefore the high-speed solar wind coming from the
Sun interacts directly with the Mars atmosphere, like an
obstacle in the flow.
 HIGH FREQUENCY PLASMA
~HIGH FREQUENCY EXCITATION-

>When atoms and molecules of a gas are stimulated in

such an extent that electrons are torn out from the
electron shell, so that positive ions and free electrons
result, a plasma is generated.
A plasma can also be excited by high-frequency electric
fields. The higher the excitation frequency and the lower
the gas pressure, the easier the excitation of the plasma,
and the less energy is required. In low-pressure
plasma technology, the plasma is excited by
electromagnetic high-frequency fields. The following
special feature is found here:
In the evacuated plasma chamber (vacuum chamber), a
plasma can be excited in almost any gaseous substance.
The plasma excited by high frequency is cold
In plasma technology, the excitation is carried out by
the approved ISM frequencies 40 kHz, 13.56 MHz
or2.45 GHz.
 GENERATION OF HIGH FREQUENCY
PLASMA
High frequency electric fields can generate a plasma as
well.
The higher the frquency and the lower the gas pressure,
the lower is the energy required for plasma generation.
Therefore it is much easier to generate a plasma in low
pressure conditions.
Specifics of low pressure plasma generated by High
Frequency (HF)- electric fields:
Almost any gaseous substance can be used for process
gas
Plasma generated by HF-fields is low temperature plasma
In industrial plasma technology official ISM-
frequencies are used for generation:40 kHz, 13,56 MHz,
27,12 MHz, 3,45 GHz
PRESENCE OF HIGH FREQUENCY WAVES
ON MARS

Scientists have detected existence of high-frequency

plasma waves in the Martian Upper Atmosphere with
novel narrowband and broadband features that can help
to understand plasma processes in the Martian plasma
environment.
The researchers at Indian Institute of Geomagnetism
(IIG), an autonomous institute of Department of Science
and Technology have examined the existence of high-
frequency plasma waves in the Martian plasma
environment by making use of the high-resolution electric
field data from the Mars Atmosphere and Volatile
Evolution Mission (MAVEN) spacecraft of NASA . These
waves could be either electron oscillations that propagate
parallel to the background magnetic field (Langmuir
waves) or electron oscillations that propagate
perpendicular to the background magnetic field (upper-
hybrid type waves) in the magnetosheath region of the
Mars.

APPLICATIONS OF PLASMA
 Some applications of plasma are as follows:-
1. Lighting Plasmas-
 > When another
civilizations encounters
us someday in this
obscure corner of our
Milky Way galaxy, they
will first observe radio
waves (which originate
via plasma sources).
Upon closer approach, they will analyze emission of city
lights and realize their artificial origins. More than 75% of
such lights are plasma based (fluorescent, high-intensity
arc lamps). Light production in the world accounts for
about 20% of electrical energy use overall , which means
that the greater efficiency of plasma-based lighting
contributes significantly to better energy conservation,
and energy efficiency is steadily improving.
Most electrical lamps transfer power to a filament or
electrodes through direct electrical connection through
the lamp envelope.
2. Plasma Propulsion Engine-
>A plasma propulsion engine is a type of electric
propulsion that generates thrust from a quasi-
neutral plasma. This is in contrast with ion
thruster engines, which generate thrust through
extracting an ion current from the plasma source, which
is then accelerated to high velocities using grids/anodes.
Plasma engines are well-suited
for interplanetary missions due to their high specific
impulse. Many space agencies developed plasma
propulsion systems, including the European Space
Agency, NASA developed a double layer thruster.

3. Cleaning-
>Plasma cleaning is capable of eliminating oils and
grease down to the nano-scale. It can also reduce various
risks of contamination much more efficiently than
conventional cleaning processes. Plasma cleaning
generates a spotless surface, suitable for bonding or
additional processing, without producing damaging waste
material.

Ultraviolet light produced in the plasma is very efficient at

the breaking the organic bonds of common surface
contaminants, including those in oils and greases.
Energetic oxygen species in the plasma also perform
cleaning actions, reacting with contaminants to create
primarily water and carbon dioxide.

A plasma cleaning process for easily-oxidised materials

like silver will use inert gases like argon or helium. In this
cleaning process, the plasma-activated ions blast away
organic contaminants, breaking them down so they can
be vaporized and removed from the chamber

Plasma technology is also commonly used in many

industries such as microelectronics, automotive and
medical device industries

CONCLUSION
Many researchers and scientists are predicting that
plasma will be used in new ways in the not-too-distant
future.

One potential use is the destruction of toxic waste.

Capable of containing enough energy to change the
atomic structures of substances, plasma could possibly
be used to completely eradiate very harmful toxic
substances.

Plasma is already being used as a very precise scalpel for

medical operations. Hot plasma could also be used in
medicine to cauterize wounds, drill cavities and sanitize.

Ground-breaking particle scientists are already working

with plasmas to unravel the secrets of the universe. This
research could unlock the secrets of existence, but it
could also lead to more practical plasma applications.
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plasma_(physics)
 https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?
PRID=1993601
 https://www.henniker-plasma.nl/en/plasma-
technology
 https://ntrs.nasa.gov
 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Plasma_propulsion_engine
 https://sppl.stanford.edu