What are the properties of plasma …

Plasma

• Plasma is a mixture of free electrons and ions. Plasma occurs naturally in the stars (including the sun).
• Inside the stars, the temperature is so high that the atoms break up. Some of the electrons break away from the atoms converting the rest of atoms into electrically charged particles called ions. This mixture of free electrons and ions in a star is called plasma.
• The sun and other stars glow because of the presence of plasma in them.
• Plasma can also be made on the earth by passing electricity through gases at very low pressure taking in a glass tube. The fluorescent tubes and neon sign bulbs form plasma when they are switched on.

Bose- Einstein Condensate

• In 1920 Indian physicist Satyendra Nath Bose had done some calculations for a fifth state of matter. Building on it calculations, Albert Einstein predicted a new state of matter- the Bose Einstein Condensate (BEC).
• The BEC is formed by cooling a gas of extremely low density (about one –hundred- thousandth the density of normal air) to super low temperature.

Plasma and Bose-Einstein Condensate(BEC): fourth and fifth sate of matter

Plasma and BEC (Bose-Einstein Condensate) are considered as states of matter other than solid, liquid and gas. These are known as fourth and fifth states of matter.

Plasma: It is considered as the fourth state of matter. Plasma is similar to the gas. Particles of plasma are made of free electrons and ions.

Plasma does not have a definite shape or a definite volume unless enclosed in a container.

Plasma may be defined as an electrically neutral medium of positive and negative particles.

Plasma is one of the most commonly occurring states of matter in universe. Plasma occurs naturally in the stars. All stars are made of plasma. Because of the presence of plasma stars glow. Plasma is formed because of nuclear fusion in stars. Our sun glows because of presence of plasma.

Plasma TV got its name because of presence of plasma in it. Plasma is also found in fluorescent light or neon sign. Plasma is formed when electricity is passed in a fluorescent tube or neon sign, which makes them glow.

Bose-Einstein Condensate (BEC)

It may be considered as fifth state of matter. Satyendra Nath Bose and Albert Einstein were predicted about this state of matters, that’s why it got its name as Bose-Einstein Condensate (BEC).

Plasma and BEC are has opposite characters. Plasma is a super hot and super excited atom while Condensate has super cool and super unexcited atoms.

BEC has been obtained by cooling the vapor of rubidium-87 at super low temperature by Eric Cornell and Carl Wieman on June 5 1995. After sometimes Wolfgang Ketterle also obtained BEC from sodium-23 at MIT, USA. Cornell, Wieman and Ketterle got Nobel Prize in Physics for this achievement in 2001.