Istanbul Gelisim University Faculty of Engineering and Architecture: Bulletin (August 2023)

Abstract

PLASMA STATE OF MATTER AND SOME BASIC APPLICATIONS

Although the word plasma sometimes appears as a medical term, sometimes as the name of the toy that children play with, and sometimes as an expression in modern television technology, it actually describes a very important scientific concept, which is described as the 4th state of matter, especially in the field of physics. To describe the plasma very simply, it is possible to describe it as an ionized gas. It is estimated that almost all of the visible universe (more than 99.9%) is in the plasma state. Even from this point of view, it can be understood how important it is, and even because of this feature, it is a multidisciplinary subject that can be closely related to many fields of science. The sun, lightnings, and illuminations called Northern lights, which can be viewed as a visual feast, are examples of natural plasmas. In particular, astrophysicists by stating that almost the entire universe is plasma they predict that learning the behavior of plasma may actually mean learning about astrophysics. In addition to the natural plasmas mentioned above, plasmas can also be produced in artificial environments, that is, in the laboratory environment.