This is a list of plasma physics topics.

A

Ablation Ablation ( la, ablatio – removal) is removal or destruction of something from an object by vaporization, chipping, erosive processes or by other means. Examples of ablative materials are described below, and include spacecraft material for ...

* Abradable coating *

Abraham–Lorentz force In the physics of electromagnetism, the Abraham–Lorentz force (also Lorentz–Abraham force) is the recoil force on an accelerating charged particle caused by the particle emitting electromagnetic radiation by self-interaction. It is also ca ...

Absorption band According to quantum mechanics, atoms and molecules can only hold certain defined quantities of energy, or exist in specific states. When such quanta of electromagnetic radiation are emitted or absorbed by an atom or molecule, energy of the ...

Accretion disk An accretion disk is a structure (often a circumstellar disk) formed by diffuse material in orbital motion around a massive central body. The central body is typically a star. Friction, uneven irradiance, magnetohydrodynamic effects, and other ...

Active galactic nucleus An active galactic nucleus (AGN) is a compact region at the center of a galaxy that has a much-higher-than-normal luminosity over at least some portion of the electromagnetic spectrum with characteristics indicating that the luminosity is not prod ...

* Adiabatic invariant * ADITYA (tokamak) *

Aeronomy Aeronomy is the scientific study of the upper atmosphere of the Earth and corresponding regions of the atmospheres of other planets. It is a branch of both atmospheric chemistry and atmospheric physics. Scientists specializing in aeronomy, known a ...

* Afterglow plasma *

Airglow Airglow (also called nightglow) is a faint emission of light by a planetary atmosphere. In the case of Earth's atmosphere, this optical phenomenon causes the night sky never to be completely dark, even after the effects of starlight and diffu ...

* Air plasma,

Corona treatment Corona treatment (sometimes referred to as air plasma) is a surface modification technique that uses a low temperature corona discharge plasma to impart changes in the properties of a surface. The corona plasma is generated by the application of ...

, Atmospheric-pressure plasma treatment *

Ayaks The Ayaks (russian: АЯКС, meaning also Ajax) is a hypersonic waverider aircraft program started in the Soviet Union and currently under development by the Hypersonic Systems Research Institute (HSRI) of Leninets Holding Company in Saint Peter ...

, Novel "Magneto-plasmo-chemical engine" *

Alcator C-Mod Alcator C-Mod was a tokamak (a type of magnetically confined fusion device) that operated between 1991 and 2016 at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Plasma Science and Fusion Center (PSFC). Notable for its high toroidal magnetic ...

Alfvén wave In plasma physics, an Alfvén wave, named after Hannes Alfvén, is a type of plasma wave in which ions oscillate in response to a restoring force provided by an effective tension on the magnetic field lines. Definition An Alfvén wave is ...

* Ambipolar diffusion * Aneutronic fusion * Anisothermal plasma *

Anisotropy Anisotropy () is the property of a material which allows it to change or assume different properties in different directions, as opposed to isotropy. It can be defined as a difference, when measured along different axes, in a material's physic ...

Antiproton Decelerator The Antiproton Decelerator (AD) is a storage ring at the CERN laboratory near Geneva. It was built from the Antiproton Collector (AC) to be a successor to the Low Energy Antiproton Ring (LEAR) and started operation in the year 2000. Antiproto ...

* Appleton-Hartree equation *

Arcing horns Arcing horns (sometimes arc-horns) are projecting conductors used to protect insulators or switch hardware on high voltage electric power transmission systems from damage during flashover. Overvoltages on transmission lines, due to atmospheric ...

Arc lamp An arc lamp or arc light is a lamp that produces light by an electric arc (also called a voltaic arc). The carbon arc light, which consists of an arc between carbon electrodes in air, invented by Humphry Davy in the first decade of the 1800s, ...

Arc suppression Arc suppression is the reduction of sparks formed when current-carrying contacts are separated. The spark is a luminous discharge of highly energized electrons and ions, and is an electric arc. Uses There are several possible areas of use of arc s ...

ASDEX Upgrade ASDEX Upgrade (''Axially Symmetric Divertor Experiment'') is a divertor tokamak, that went into operation at the Max-Planck-Institut für Plasmaphysik, Garching in 1991. At present, it is Germany's second largest fusion experiment after stella ...

, Axially Symmetric Divertor EXperiment * Astron (fusion reactor) *

Astronomy Astronomy () is a natural science that studies celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and evolution. Objects of interest include planets, moons, stars, nebulae, g ...

Astrophysical plasma Astrophysical plasma is plasma outside of the Solar System. It is studied as part of astrophysics and is commonly observed in space. The accepted view of scientists is that much of the baryonic matter in the universe exists in this state. When ...

Astrophysical X-ray source Astrophysical X-ray sources are astronomical objects with physical properties which result in the emission of X-rays. Several types of astrophysical objects emit X-rays. They include galaxy clusters, black holes in active galactic nuclei (AGN), ...

Atmospheric dynamo The Atmospheric dynamo is a pattern of electrical currents that are set up in the Earth's ionosphere by multiple effects, mostly the Sun's solar wind, but also the tides of the Moon and Sun. The currents flow in circuits between the poles and the eq ...

Atmospheric escape Atmospheric escape is the loss of planetary atmospheric gases to outer space. A number of different mechanisms can be responsible for atmospheric escape; these processes can be divided into thermal escape, non-thermal (or suprathermal) escape, and ...

* Atmospheric pressure discharge *

Atmospheric-pressure plasma Atmospheric-pressure plasma (or AP plasma or normal pressure plasma) is a plasma in which the pressure approximately matches that of the surrounding atmosphere – the so-called normal pressure. Technical significance Atmospheric-pressure pla ...

Atom Every atom is composed of a nucleus and one or more electrons bound to the nucleus. The nucleus is made of one or more protons and a number of neutrons. Only the most common variety of hydrogen has no neutrons. Every solid, liquid, gas, a ...

Atomic emission spectroscopy Atomic may refer to: * Of or relating to the atom, the smallest particle of a chemical element that retains its chemical properties * Atomic physics, the study of the atom * Atomic Age, also known as the "Atomic Era" * Atomic scale, distances com ...

Atomic physics Atomic physics is the field of physics that studies atoms as an isolated system of electrons and an atomic nucleus. Atomic physics typically refers to the study of atomic structure and the interaction between atoms. It is primarily concerned wit ...

* Atomic-terrace low-angle shadowing *

Auger electron spectroscopy A Hanford scientist uses an Auger electron spectrometer to determine the elemental composition of surfaces. Auger electron spectroscopy (AES; pronounced in French) is a common analytical technique used specifically in the study of surfaces and, ...

Aurora (astronomy) An aurora (plural: auroras or aurorae), also commonly known as the polar lights, is a natural light display in Earth's sky, predominantly seen in high-latitude regions (around the Arctic and Antarctic). Auroras display dynamic patterns of bri ...

B

Babcock Model The Babcock Model describes a mechanism which can explain magnetic and sunspot patterns observed on the Sun. History The modern understanding of sunspots starts with George Ellery Hale, who linked magnetic fields and sunspots. Hale suggested t ...

Ball lightning Ball lightning is a rare and unexplained phenomenon described as luminescent, spherical objects that vary from pea-sized to several meters in diameter. Though usually associated with thunderstorms, the observed phenomenon is reported to last ...

* Ball-pen probe *

Ballooning instability The ballooning instability (a.k.a. ballooning mode instability) is a type of internal pressure-driven plasma instability usually seen in tokamak fusion power reactors or in space plasmas. It is important in fusion research as it determines a set of ...

Baryon acoustic oscillations In cosmology, baryon acoustic oscillations (BAO) are fluctuations in the density of the visible baryonic matter (normal matter) of the universe, caused by acoustic density waves in the primordial plasma of the early universe. In the same way t ...

Beam-powered propulsion Beam-powered propulsion, also known as directed energy propulsion, is a class of aircraft or spacecraft propulsion that uses energy beamed to the spacecraft from a remote power plant to provide energy. The beam is typically either a microwave or a ...

Beta (plasma physics) The beta of a plasma, symbolized by ''β'', is the ratio of the plasma pressure (''p'' = ''n'' ''k''B ''T'') to the magnetic pressure (''p''mag = ''B''²/2 ''μ''0). The term is commonly used in studies of the Sun and Earth's magnetic field, an ...

Birkeland current A Birkeland current (also known as field-aligned current) is a set of electrical currents that flow along geomagnetic field lines connecting the Earth's magnetosphere to the Earth's high latitude ionosphere. In the Earth's magnetosphere, the curr ...

* Blacklight Power *

Blazar A blazar is an active galactic nucleus (AGN) with a relativistic jet (a jet composed of ionized matter traveling at nearly the speed of light) directed very nearly towards an observer. Relativistic beaming of electromagnetic radiation from t ...

Bohm diffusion The diffusion of plasma across a magnetic field was conjectured to follow the Bohm diffusion scaling as indicated from the early plasma experiments of very lossy machines. This predicted that the rate of diffusion was linear with temperature and ...

* Bohr–van Leeuwen theorem *

Boltzmann relation In a plasma, the Boltzmann relation describes the number density of an isothermal charged particle fluid when the thermal and the electrostatic forces acting on the fluid have reached equilibrium. In many situations, the electron density of a ...

Bow shock In astrophysics, a bow shock occurs when the magnetosphere of an astrophysical object interacts with the nearby flowing ambient plasma such as the solar wind. For Earth and other magnetized planets, it is the boundary at which the speed of th ...

Bremsstrahlung ''Bremsstrahlung'' (), from "to brake" and "radiation"; i.e., "braking radiation" or "deceleration radiation", is electromagnetic radiation produced by the deceleration of a charged particle when deflected by another charged particle, typical ...

Bussard ramjet The Bussard ramjet is a theoretical method of spacecraft propulsion proposed in 1960 by the physicist Robert W. Bussard, popularized by Poul Anderson's novel '' Tau Zero'', Larry Niven in his ''Known Space'' series of books, Vernor Vinge in h ...

C

* Capacitively coupled plasma *

Carbon nanotube metal matrix composites Carbon nanotube metal matrix composites (CNT-MMC) are an emerging class of new materials that mix carbon nanotubes into metals and metal alloys to take advantage of the high tensile strength and electrical conductivity of carbon nanotube materi ...

Cassini–Huygens ''Cassini–Huygens'' ( ), commonly called ''Cassini'', was a space-research mission by NASA, the European Space Agency (ESA), and the Italian Space Agency (ASI) to send a space probe to study the planet Saturn and its system, including its r ...

, Cassini Plasma Spectrometer *

Cathode ray Cathode rays or electron beam (e-beam) are streams of electrons observed in discharge tubes. If an evacuated glass tube is equipped with two electrodes and a voltage is applied, glass behind the positive electrode is observed to glow, due to el ...

Cathodic arc deposition {{Short description, Type of physical vapor deposition technique Cathodic arc deposition or Arc-PVD is a physical vapor deposition technique in which an electric arc is used to vaporize material from a cathode target. The vaporized material then ...

Ceramic discharge metal-halide lamp A ceramic metal-halide lamp (CMH), also generically known as a ceramic discharge metal-halide (CDM) lamp, is a type of metal-halide lamp that is 10–20% more efficient than the traditional quartz metal halide and produces a superior color rend ...

Charge carrier In physics, a charge carrier is a particle or quasiparticle that is free to move, carrying an electric charge, especially the particles that carry electric charges in electrical conductors. Examples are electrons, ions and holes. The term i ...

* Charged-device model *

Charged particle In physics, a charged particle is a particle with an electric charge. It may be an ion, such as a molecule or atom with a surplus or deficit of electrons relative to protons. It can also be an electron or a proton, or another elementary pa ...

* Chemical plasma *

Chemical vapor deposition Chemical vapor deposition (CVD) is a vacuum deposition method used to produce high quality, and high-performance, solid materials. The process is often used in the semiconductor industry to produce thin films. In typical CVD, the wafer (subst ...

* Chemical vapor deposition of diamond *

Chirikov criterion The Chirikov criterion or Chirikov resonance-overlap criterion was established by the Russian physicist Boris Chirikov. Back in 1959, he published a seminal article, 1 . Here is the perturbation parameter, while is the resonance-overlap paramete ...

Chirped pulse amplification Chirped pulse amplification (CPA) is a technique for amplifying an ultrashort pulse, ultrashort laser pulse up to the petawatt level, with the laser pulse being stretched out temporally and spectrally, then amplified, and then compressed again. The ...

Chromatography detector A chromatography detector is a device used in gas chromatography (GC) or liquid chromatography (LC) to detect components of the mixture being eluted off the chromatography column. There are two general types of detectors: destructive and non-destruc ...

* Chromo–Weibel instability *

Classical-map hypernetted-chain method The classical-map hypernetted-chain method (CHNC method) is a method used in many-body theoretical physics for interacting uniform electron liquids in two and three dimensions, and for non-ideal plasmas. The method extends the famous hypernetted- ...

* Cnoidal wave *

Colored-particle-in-cell A particle in cell simulation for non-Abelian (colored) particles and fields. Can be used to simulate an equilibrium or non-equilibrium quark-gluon plasma. References * * * Quantum chromodynamics Plasma physics {{plasma-stub ...

Coilgun A coilgun, also known as a Gauss rifle, is a type of mass driver consisting of one or more coils used as electromagnets in the configuration of a linear motor that accelerate a ferromagnetic or conducting projectile to high velocity. In almos ...

* Cold plasma,

Ozone generator Ozone (), or trioxygen, is an inorganic molecule with the chemical formula . It is a pale blue gas with a distinctively pungent smell. It is an allotrope of oxygen that is much less stable than the diatomic allotrope , breaking down in the lo ...

* Collisionality *

Columbia Non-neutral Torus The Columbia Non-neutral Torus (CNT) is a small stellarator at the Columbia University Plasma Physics Laboratory designed by Thomas Sunn Pedersen with the aid of Wayne Reiersen and Fred Dahlgren of the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory to co ...

Comet tail A comet tail—and coma—are features visible in comets when they are illuminated by the Sun and may become visible from Earth when a comet passes through the inner Solar System. As a comet approaches the inner Solar System, solar radiation cau ...

* Compact toroid *

Compressibility In thermodynamics and fluid mechanics, the compressibility (also known as the coefficient of compressibility or, if the temperature is held constant, the isothermal compressibility) is a measure of the instantaneous relative volume change of a f ...

* Compton–Getting effect *

Contact lithography Contact lithography, also known as contact printing, is a form of photolithography whereby the image to be printed is obtained by illumination of a photomask in direct contact with a substrate coated with an imaging photoresist layer. History The ...

Coupling (physics) In physics, two objects are said to be coupled when they are interacting with each other. In classical mechanics, coupling is a connection between two oscillating systems, such as pendulums connected by a spring. The connection affects the oscil ...

Convection cell In the field of fluid dynamics, a convection cell is the phenomenon that occurs when density differences exist within a body of liquid or gas. These density differences result in rising and/or falling currents, which are the key characteristics ...

Cooling flow A cooling flow occurs according to the theory that the intracluster medium (ICM) in the centres of galaxy clusters should be rapidly cooling at the rate of tens to thousands of solar masses per year. This should happen as the ICM (a plasma) is quic ...

Corona Corona (from the Latin for 'crown') most commonly refers to: * Stellar corona, the outer atmosphere of the Sun or another star * Corona (beer), a Mexican beer * Corona, informal term for the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, which causes the COVID-19 di ...

Corona discharge A corona discharge is an electrical discharge caused by the ionization of a fluid such as air surrounding a conductor carrying a high voltage. It represents a local region where the air (or other fluid) has undergone electrical breakdown ...

Corona ring A corona ring, more correctly referred to as an anti-corona ring, is a toroid of conductive material, usually metal, which is attached to a terminal or other irregular hardware piece of high voltage equipment. The purpose of the corona ring is t ...

Coronal loop In solar physics, a coronal loop is a well-defined arch-like structure in the Sun's atmosphere made up of relatively dense plasma confined and isolated from the surrounding medium by magnetic flux tubes. Coronal loops begin and end at two f ...

Coronal radiative losses In astronomy and in astrophysics, for radiative losses of the solar corona, it is meant the energy flux radiated from the external atmosphere of the Sun (traditionally divided into chromosphere, transition region and corona), and, in particular, ...

Coronal seismology Coronal seismology is a technique of studying the plasma of the Sun's corona with the use of magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) waves and oscillations. Magnetohydrodynamics studies the dynamics of electrically conducting fluids - in this case the fluid ...

Cosmic microwave background radiation In Big Bang cosmology the cosmic microwave background (CMB, CMBR) is electromagnetic radiation that is a remnant from an early stage of the universe, also known as "relic radiation". The CMB is faint cosmic background radiation filling all space ...

* Cotton–Mouton effect *

Coulomb collision A Coulomb collision is a binary elastic collision between two charged particles interacting through their own electric field. As with any inverse-square law, the resulting trajectories of the colliding particles is a hyperbolic Keplerian orbit. This ...

Coulomb explosion In condensed-matter physics, Coulombic explosions are a mechanism for transforming energy in intense electromagnetic fields into atomic motion and are thus useful for controlled destruction of relatively robust molecules. The explosions are a pr ...

Crackle tube A crackle tube is a type of plasma lamp that is used most commonly in museums, night clubs, movie sets, and other applications where its appearance may be appealing for entertainment. Such a device consists of a double walled glass tube with a ...

Critical ionization velocity Critical ionization velocity (CIV), or critical velocity (CV), is the relative velocity between a neutral gas and plasma (an ionized gas), at which the neutral gas will start to ionize. If more energy is supplied, the velocity of the atoms or mole ...

Crookes tube A Crookes tube (also Crookes–Hittorf tube) is an early experimental electrical discharge tube, with partial vacuum, invented by English physicist William Crookes and others around 1869-1875, in which cathode rays, streams of electrons, were ...

* Current sheet *

Cutoff frequency In physics and electrical engineering, a cutoff frequency, corner frequency, or break frequency is a boundary in a system's frequency response at which energy flowing through the system begins to be reduced ( attenuated or reflected) rather tha ...

Cyclotron radiation Cyclotron radiation is electromagnetic radiation emitted by non-relativistic accelerating charged particles deflected by a magnetic field. The Lorentz force on the particles acts perpendicular to both the magnetic field lines and the particles' mot ...

D

Debye length In plasmas and electrolytes, the Debye length \lambda_ (also called Debye radius), is a measure of a charge carrier's net electrostatic effect in a solution and how far its electrostatic effect persists. With each Debye length the charges are in ...

Debye sheath The Debye sheath (also electrostatic sheath) is a layer in a plasma which has a greater density of positive ions, and hence an overall excess positive charge, that balances an opposite negative charge on the surface of a material with which it is i ...

Deep reactive-ion etching Deep reactive-ion etching (DRIE) is a highly anisotropic etch process used to create deep penetration, steep-sided holes and trenches in wafers/substrates, typically with high aspect ratios. It was developed for microelectromechanical systems ( ...

Degenerate matter Degenerate matter is a highly dense state of fermionic matter in which the Pauli exclusion principle exerts significant pressure in addition to, or in lieu of, thermal pressure. The description applies to matter composed of electrons, protons, n ...

Degree of ionization The degree of ionization (also known as ''ionization yield'' in the literature) refers to the proportion of neutral particles, such as those in a gas or aqueous solution, that are ionized. For electrolytes, it could be understood as a capacity ...

* DEMO, DEMOnstration Power Plant * Dense plasma focus *

Dielectric barrier discharge Dielectric-barrier discharge (DBD) is the electrical discharge between two electrodes separated by an insulating dielectric barrier. Originally called silent (inaudible) discharge and also known as ozone production discharge or partial disch ...

Diffusion damping In modern cosmological theory, diffusion damping, also called photon diffusion damping, is a physical process which reduced density inequalities ( anisotropies) in the early universe, making the universe itself and the cosmic microwave background ...

DIII-D (tokamak) DIII-D is a tokamak that has been operated since the late 1980s by General Atomics (GA) in San Diego, USA, for the U.S. Department of Energy. The DIII-D National Fusion Facility is part of the ongoing effort to achieve magnetically confined fusio ...

Dimensional analysis In engineering and science, dimensional analysis is the analysis of the relationships between different physical quantities by identifying their base quantities (such as length, mass, time, and electric current) and units of measure (such as mi ...

* Diocotron instability * Direct-current discharge *

Directed-energy weapon A directed-energy weapon (DEW) is a ranged weapon that damages its target with highly focused energy without a solid projectile, including lasers, microwaves, particle beams, and sound beams. Potential applications of this technology include w ...

Direct bonding Direct bonding, or fusion bonding, describes a wafer bonding process without any additional intermediate layers. The bonding process is based on chemical bonds between two surfaces of any material possible meeting numerous requirements. These requir ...

* distribution function *

Doppler broadening In atomic physics, Doppler broadening is broadening of spectral lines due to the Doppler effect caused by a distribution of velocities of atoms or molecules. Different velocities of the emitting (or absorbing) particles result in different Do ...

Doppler effect The Doppler effect or Doppler shift (or simply Doppler, when in context) is the change in frequency of a wave in relation to an observer who is moving relative to the wave source. It is named after the Austrian physicist Christian Doppler, who ...

Double layer (plasma) A double layer is a structure in a plasma consisting of two parallel layers of opposite electrical charge. The sheets of charge, which are not necessarily planar, produce localised excursions of electric potential, resulting in a relatively strong ...

* Dual segmented Langmuir probe, Non-Maxwellian Features in Ionospheric Plasma *

Duoplasmatron The Duoplasmatron is an ion source in which a cathode filament emits electrons into a vacuum chamber. A gas such as argon is introduced in very small quantities into the chamber, where it becomes charged or ionized through interactions with the ...

* Dusty plasma *

Dynamo theory In physics, the dynamo theory proposes a mechanism by which a celestial body such as Earth or a star generates a magnetic field. The dynamo theory describes the process through which a rotating, convecting, and electrically conducting fluid can ...

E

Earth's magnetic field Earth's magnetic field, also known as the geomagnetic field, is the magnetic field that extends from Earth's interior out into space, where it interacts with the solar wind, a stream of charged particles emanating from the Sun. The magneti ...

EAST East or Orient is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from west and is the direction from which the Sun rises on the Earth. Etymology As in other languages, the word is formed from the fac ...

, Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak * Ectons *

Eddington luminosity The Eddington luminosity, also referred to as the Eddington limit, is the maximum luminosity a body (such as a star) can achieve when there is balance between the force of radiation acting outward and the gravitational force acting inward. The stat ...

Edge-localized mode An edge-localized mode (ELM) is a disruptive instability occurring in the edge region of a tokamak plasma due to the quasi-periodic relaxation of a transport barrier previously formed during a transition from low to high-confinement mode. This phen ...

* Ekman number *

Elastic collision In physics, an elastic collision is an encounter ( collision) between two bodies in which the total kinetic energy of the two bodies remains the same. In an ideal, perfectly elastic collision, there is no net conversion of kinetic energy into ...

Electrical breakdown Electrical breakdown or dielectric breakdown is a process that occurs when an electrical insulating material, subjected to a high enough voltage, suddenly becomes an electrical conductor and electric current flows through it. All insulating mate ...

Electrical conductor In physics and electrical engineering, a conductor is an object or type of material that allows the flow of charge (electric current) in one or more directions. Materials made of metal are common electrical conductors. Electric current is gene ...

Electrical mobility Electrical mobility is the ability of charged particles (such as electrons or protons) to move through a medium in response to an electric field that is pulling them. The separation of ions according to their mobility in gas phase is called ion ...

Electrical resistance and conductance The electrical resistance of an object is a measure of its opposition to the flow of electric current. Its reciprocal quantity is , measuring the ease with which an electric current passes. Electrical resistance shares some conceptual parallels ...

Electrical resistivity and conductivity Electrical resistivity (also called specific electrical resistance or volume resistivity) is a fundamental property of a material that measures how strongly it resists electric current. A low resistivity indicates a material that readily allows ...

Electrical treeing In electrical engineering, treeing is an electrical pre-breakdown phenomenon in solid insulation. It is a damaging process due to partial discharges and progresses through the stressed dielectric insulation, in a path resembling the branches of ...

Electrically powered spacecraft propulsion Spacecraft electric propulsion (or just electric propulsion) is a type of spacecraft propulsion technique that uses electrostatic or electromagnetic fields to accelerate mass to high speed and thus generate thrust to modify the velocity of a s ...

Electric-field screening In physics, screening is the damping of electric fields caused by the presence of mobile charge carriers. It is an important part of the behavior of charge-carrying fluids, such as ionized gases (classical plasmas), electrolytes, and charge ...

Electric arc An electric arc, or arc discharge, is an electrical breakdown of a gas that produces a prolonged electrical discharge. The current through a normally nonconductive medium such as air produces a plasma; the plasma may produce visible light. ...

Electric arc furnace An electric arc furnace (EAF) is a furnace that heats material by means of an electric arc. Industrial arc furnaces range in size from small units of approximately one-tonne capacity (used in foundries for producing cast iron products) up to ...

, Plasma arc furnace *

Electric current An electric current is a stream of charged particles, such as electrons or ions, moving through an electrical conductor or space. It is measured as the net rate of flow of electric charge through a surface or into a control volume. The movi ...

Electric discharge An electric discharge is the release and transmission of electricity in an applied electric field through a medium such as a gas (ie., an outgoing flow of electric current through a non-metal medium).American Geophysical Union, National Research C ...

Electric spark An electric spark is an abrupt electrical discharge that occurs when a sufficiently high electric field creates an ionized, electrically conductive channel through a normally-insulating medium, often air or other gases or gas mixtures. Michael F ...

* Electric Tokamak *

Electrothermal-chemical technology Electrothermal-chemical (ETC) technology is an attempt to increase accuracy and muzzle energy of future tank, artillery, and close-in weapon system guns by improving the predictability and rate of expansion of propellants inside the barrel. An elec ...

, uses plasma cartridge, Triple coaxial plasma igniter * Electrodeless plasma excitation *

Electrodeless plasma thruster The electrodeless plasma thruster is a spacecraft propulsion engine commercialized under the acronym "E-IMPAcT" for "Electrodeless-Ionization Magnetized Ponderomotive Acceleration Thruster". It was created by Mr. Gregory Emsellem based on technolog ...

* Electrodynamic tether, Flowing Plasma Effect * Electrohydrodynamic thruster * Electrolaser, Laser-Induced Plasma Channel * Electromagnetic electron wave *

Electromagnetic field An electromagnetic field (also EM field or EMF) is a classical (i.e. non-quantum) field produced by (stationary or moving) electric charges. It is the field described by classical electrodynamics (a classical field theory) and is the classical ...

Electromagnetic pulse An electromagnetic pulse (EMP), also a transient electromagnetic disturbance (TED), is a brief burst of electromagnetic energy. Depending upon the source, the origin of an EMP can be natural or artificial, and can occur as an electromagnetic f ...

Electromagnetic spectrum The electromagnetic spectrum is the range of frequencies (the spectrum) of electromagnetic radiation and their respective wavelengths and photon energies. The electromagnetic spectrum covers electromagnetic waves with frequencies ranging fro ...

* Electron-cloud effect *

Electron The electron ( or ) is a subatomic particle with a negative one elementary electric charge. Electrons belong to the first generation of the lepton particle family, and are generally thought to be elementary particles because they have n ...

Electron avalanche An electron avalanche is a process in which a number of free electrons in a transmission medium are subjected to strong acceleration by an electric field and subsequently collide with other atoms of the medium, thereby ionizing them (impact ioniza ...

* Electron beam ion trap *

Electron cyclotron resonance Electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) is a phenomenon observed in plasma physics, condensed matter physics, and accelerator physics. It happens when the frequency of incident radiation coincides with the natural frequency of rotation of electrons in m ...

Electron density In quantum chemistry, electron density or electronic density is the measure of the probability of an electron being present at an infinitesimal element of space surrounding any given point. It is a scalar quantity depending upon three spatial va ...

Electron energy loss spectroscopy In electron energy loss spectroscopy (EELS) a material is exposed to a beam of electrons with a known, narrow range of kinetic energies. Some of the electrons will undergo inelastic scattering, which means that they lose energy and have their pa ...

Electron gun An electron gun (also called electron emitter) is an electrical component in some vacuum tubes that produces a narrow, collimated electron beam that has a precise kinetic energy. The largest use is in cathode-ray tubes (CRTs), used in nearly ...

Electron microprobe An electron microprobe (EMP), also known as an electron probe microanalyzer (EPMA) or electron micro probe analyzer (EMPA), is an analytical tool used to non-destructively determine the chemical composition of small volumes of solid materials. It ...

* Electron spiral toroid * Electron temperature *

Electronvolt In physics, an electronvolt (symbol eV, also written electron-volt and electron volt) is the measure of an amount of kinetic energy gained by a single electron accelerating from rest through an electric potential difference of one volt in vacu ...

* Electron wake *

Electrostatic discharge Electrostatic discharge (ESD) is a sudden and momentary flow of electric current between two electrically charged objects caused by contact, an electrical short or dielectric breakdown. A buildup of static electricity can be caused by tribochar ...

Electrostatic ion cyclotron wave In plasma physics, an electrostatic ion cyclotron wave is a longitudinal oscillation of the ions (and electrons) in a magnetized plasma, propagating nearly (but not exactly) perpendicular to the magnetic field. The angle (in radians) between the di ...

* Electrostatic ion thruster *

Electrosurgery Electrosurgery is the application of a high-frequency (radio frequency) alternating polarity, electrical current to biological tissue as a means to cut, coagulate, desiccate, or fulgurate tissue.Hainer BL, "Fundamentals of electrosurgery", ''J ...

Electrothermal instability __NOTOC__ The electrothermal instability (also known as ionization instability, non-equilibrium instability or Velikhov instability in the literature) is a magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) instability appearing in magnetized non-thermal plasmas used ...

Electroweak epoch In physical cosmology, the electroweak epoch was the period in the evolution of the early universe when the temperature of the universe had fallen enough that the strong force separated from the electroweak interaction, but was high enough for ele ...

Elemental analysis Elemental analysis is a process where a sample of some material (e.g., soil, waste or drinking water, bodily fluids, minerals, chemical compounds) is analyzed for its elemental and sometimes isotopic composition. Elemental analysis can be qualit ...

* Elliptic flow *

Emission spectrum The emission spectrum of a chemical element or chemical compound is the spectrum of frequencies of electromagnetic radiation emitted due to an electron making a transition from a high energy state to a lower energy state. The photon energy of ...

* Energetic neutral atom *

Energy density In physics, energy density is the amount of energy stored in a given system or region of space per unit volume. It is sometimes confused with energy per unit mass which is properly called specific energy or . Often only the ''useful'' or extrac ...

Energy filtered transmission electron microscopy Energy-filtered transmission electron microscopy (EFTEM) is a technique used in transmission electron microscopy, in which only electrons of particular kinetic energies are used to form the image or diffraction pattern. The technique can be used to ...

Evanescent wave In electromagnetics, an evanescent field, or evanescent wave, is an oscillating electric and/or magnetic field that does not propagate as an electromagnetic wave but whose energy is spatially concentrated in the vicinity of the source (oscillat ...

Evershed effect The Evershed effect, named after the British astronomer John Evershed, is the radial flow of gas across the photospheric surface of the penumbra of sunspots from the inner border with the umbra towards the outer edge. The speed varies from around ...

* Excimer lamp *

Excimer laser An excimer laser, sometimes more correctly called an exciplex laser, is a form of ultraviolet laser which is commonly used in the production of microelectronic devices, semiconductor based integrated circuits or "chips", eye surgery, and microm ...

Extraordinary optical transmission Extraordinary optical transmission (EOT) is the phenomenon of greatly enhanced transmission of light through a subwavelength aperture in an otherwise opaque metallic film which has been patterned with a regularly repeating periodic structure. Ge ...

Extreme ultraviolet Extreme ultraviolet radiation (EUV or XUV) or high-energy ultraviolet radiation is electromagnetic radiation in the part of the electromagnetic spectrum spanning wavelengths from 124 nm down to 10 nm, and therefore (by the Planck–E ...

Extreme ultraviolet lithography Extreme ultraviolet lithography (also known as EUV or EUVL) is an optical lithography technology used in steppers, machines that make integrated circuits (ICs) for computers and other electronic devices. It uses a range of extreme ultraviolet (EU ...

F

Failure analysis Failure analysis is the process of collecting and analyzing data to determine the cause of a failure, often with the goal of determining corrective actions or liability. According to Bloch and Geitner, ”machinery failures reveal a reaction chain ...

* FalconSAT * Faraday cup *

Faraday effect The Faraday effect or Faraday rotation, sometimes referred to as the magneto-optic Faraday effect (MOFE), is a physical magneto-optical phenomenon. The Faraday effect causes a polarization rotation which is proportional to the projection of the ...

, Faraday rotation in the ionosphere * Far-infrared laser * Farley-Buneman instability * Fast Auroral Snapshot Explorer *

Ferritic nitrocarburizing Ferritic nitrocarburizing or FNC, also known by the proprietary names Tenifer, Tufftride and Melonite as well as ARCOR,Other trade names include Tuffride/ Tuffrider, QPQ, Sulfinuz, Sursulf, Meli 1, and Nitride, among others is a range of proprie ...

, Plasma-assisted ferritic nitrocarburizing, plasma ion nitriding *

Ferrofluid Ferrofluid is a liquid that is attracted to the poles of a magnet. It is a colloidal liquid made of nanoscale ferromagnetic or ferrimagnetic particles suspended in a carrier fluid (usually an organic solvent or water). Each magnetic particle ...

Field line A field line is a graphical visual aid for visualizing vector fields. It consists of an imaginary directed line which is tangent to the field vector at each point along its length. A diagram showing a representative set of neighboring field ...

Field-reversed configuration A field-reversed configuration (FRC) is a type of plasma device studied as a means of producing nuclear fusion. It confines a plasma on closed magnetic field lines without a central penetration. In an FRC, the plasma has the form of a self-stabl ...

* Filament propagation *

Finite-difference time-domain method Finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) or Yee's method (named after the Chinese American applied mathematician Kane S. Yee, born 1934) is a numerical analysis technique used for modeling computational electrodynamics (finding approximate solutions t ...

Fire Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material (the fuel) in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products. At a certain point in the combustion reaction, called the ignition point, flames ...

Fisher's equation In mathematics, Fisher's equation (named after statistician and biologist Ronald Fisher) also known as the Kolmogorov–Petrovsky–Piskunov equation (named after Andrey Kolmogorov, Ivan Petrovsky, and Nikolai Piskunov), KPP equation or Fis ...

* Fission fragment reactor * Fission-fragment rocket, Dusty Plasma Based Fission Fragment Nuclear Reactor * Flame plasma * Flare spray *

Flashtube A flashtube (flashlamp) is an electric arc lamp designed to produce extremely intense, incoherent, full-spectrum white light for a very short time. A flashtube is a glass tube with an electrode at each end and is filled with a gas that, when tr ...

* Flatness problem *

Flowing-afterglow mass spectrometry Flowing-afterglow mass spectrometry (FA-MS), is an analytical chemistry technique for the sensitive detection of trace gases. Trace gas molecules are ionized by the production and flow of thermalized hydrated hydronium cluster ions in a plasma afte ...

Fluid dynamics In physics and engineering, fluid dynamics is a subdiscipline of fluid mechanics that describes the flow of fluids— liquids and gases. It has several subdisciplines, including ''aerodynamics'' (the study of air and other gases in motion) a ...

Fluorescent lamp A fluorescent lamp, or fluorescent tube, is a low-pressure mercury-vapor gas-discharge lamp that uses fluorescence to produce visible light. An electric current in the gas excites mercury vapor, which produces short-wave ultraviolet, ult ...

Forbidden mechanism In spectroscopy, a forbidden mechanism (forbidden transition or forbidden line) is a spectral line associated with absorption or emission of photons by atomic nuclei, atoms, or molecules which undergo a transition that is not allowed by a particul ...

* Force-free magnetic field *

Free-electron laser A free-electron laser (FEL) is a (fourth generation) light source producing extremely brilliant and short pulses of radiation. An FEL functions and behaves in many ways like a laser, but instead of using stimulated emission from atomic or molecula ...

Free electron model In solid-state physics, the free electron model is a quantum mechanical model for the behaviour of charge carriers in a metallic solid. It was developed in 1927, principally by Arnold Sommerfeld, who combined the classical Drude model with quantu ...

F region The F region of the ionosphere is home to the F layer of ionization, also called the Appleton–Barnett layer, after the English physicist Edward Appleton and New Zealand physicist and meteorologist Miles Barnett. As with other ionospheric sectors ...

, Appleton layer *

Frequency classification of plasmas Plasma () 1, where \nu_ is the electron gyrofrequency and \nu_ is the electron collision rate. It is often the case that the electrons are magnetized while the ions are not. Magnetized plasmas are ''anisotropic'', meaning that their properties ...

* Fusion energy gain factor *

Fusion power Fusion power is a proposed form of power generation that would generate electricity by using heat from nuclear fusion reactions. In a fusion process, two lighter atomic nuclei combine to form a heavier nucleus, while releasing energy. Devices de ...

fusion torch A fusion torch is a technique for utilizing the high-temperature plasma of a fusion reactor to break apart other materials (especially waste materials) and convert them into a few reusable and saleable elements. It was invented in 1968 by Berna ...

* fusor

G

* Galactic corona *

Galactic halo A galactic halo is an extended, roughly spherical component of a galaxy which extends beyond the main, visible component. Several distinct components of galaxies comprise the halo: * the stellar halo * the galactic corona (hot gas, i.e. a plas ...

* Gas *

Gas-filled tube A gas-filled tube, also commonly known as a discharge tube or formerly as a Plücker tube, is an arrangement of electrodes in a gas within an insulating, temperature-resistant envelope. Gas-filled tubes exploit phenomena related to electric ...

Gas core reactor rocket Gas core reactor rockets are a conceptual type of rocket that is propelled by the exhausted coolant of a gaseous fission reactor. The nuclear fission reactor core may be either a gas or plasma. They may be capable of creating specific impulses ...

Gas cracker A gas cracker is any device that splits the molecules in a gas or liquid, usually by electrolysis, into atoms. The end product is usually a gas. A hydrocracker is an example of a gas cracker. In nature, molecules are split often, such as in food di ...

, plasma cracking * Gas Electron Multiplier *

Gaseous fission reactor A gas nuclear reactor (or gas fueled reactor or vapor core reactor) is a proposed kind of nuclear reactor in which the nuclear fuel would be in a gaseous state rather than liquid or solid. In this type of reactor, the only temperature-limiting mate ...

* Gaseous ionisation detectors *

Gas focusing Gas focusing, also known as ionic focusing. Rather than being dispersed, a beam of charged particles travelling in an inert gas environment sometimes becomes narrower. This is ascribed to the generation of gas ions which diffuse outwards, neutrali ...

Gasification Gasification is a process that converts biomass- or fossil fuel-based carbonaceous materials into gases, including as the largest fractions: nitrogen (N2), carbon monoxide (CO), hydrogen (H2), and carbon dioxide (). This is achieved by reacting ...

, Plasma gasifier *

Geissler tube A Geissler tube is an early gas discharge tube used to demonstrate the principles of electrical glow discharge, similar to modern neon lighting. The tube was invented by the German physicist and glassblower Heinrich Geissler in 1857. It cons ...

General Fusion General Fusion is a Canadian company based in Vancouver, British Columbia, which is developing a fusion power device based on magnetized target fusion (MTF). The company was founded in 2002 by Dr. Michel Laberge. The company has more than 200 em ...

Geomagnetic storm A geomagnetic storm, also known as a magnetic storm, is a temporary disturbance of the Earth's magnetosphere caused by a solar wind shock wave and/or cloud of magnetic field that interacts with the Earth's magnetic field. The disturbance that d ...

* Geothermal Anywhere *

Glasser effect The Glasser effect describes the creation of singularities in the flow field of a magnetically confined plasma when small resonant perturbations modify the gradient of the pressure field. External links Physics of magnetically confined plasmas ...

Glass frit bonding Glass frit bonding, also referred to as glass soldering or seal glass bonding, describes a wafer bonding technique with an intermediate glass layer. It is a widely used encapsulation technology for surface micro-machined structures, e.g., accele ...

Glow discharge A glow discharge is a plasma formed by the passage of electric current through a gas. It is often created by applying a voltage between two electrodes in a glass tube containing a low-pressure gas. When the voltage exceeds a value called the st ...

* Glow-discharge optical emission spectroscopy (GDOES) * Grad–Shafranov equation *

Granule (solar physics) A granule is a convection cell in the Sun's photosphere. They are caused by convection currents of plasma in the Sun's convective zone, directly below the photosphere. The grainy appearance of the solar photosphere is produced by the tops ...

Great Rift (astronomy) In astronomy, the Great Rift (sometimes called the Dark Rift or less commonly the Dark River) is a dark band caused by interstellar clouds of cosmic dust that significantly obscure ( extinguish) the center and most radial sectors of the Milky ...

* GreenSun Energy *

Guiding center In physics, the motion of an electrically charged particle such as an electron or ion in a plasma in a magnetic field can be treated as the superposition of a relatively fast circular motion around a point called the guiding center and a relativ ...

* Gunn–Peterson trough *

GYRO Gyro may refer to: Science and technology * GYRO, a computer program for tokamak plasma simulation * Gyro Motor Company, an American aircraft engine manufacturer * ''Gyrodactylus salaris'', a parasite in salmon * Gyroscope, an orientation-sta ...

* Gyrokinetic ElectroMagnetic * Gyrokinetics *

Gyroradius The gyroradius (also known as radius of gyration, Larmor radius or cyclotron radius) is the radius of the circular motion of a charged particle in the presence of a uniform magnetic field. In SI units, the non-relativistic gyroradius is given by :r_ ...

Gyrotron High-power 140 GHz gyrotron for plasma heating in the Wendelstein 7-X fusion experiment, Germany. A gyrotron is a class of high-power linear-beam vacuum tubes that generates millimeter-wave electromagnetic waves by the cyclotron resonance of e ...

H

Hadronization Hadronization (or hadronisation) is the process of the formation of hadrons out of quarks and gluons. There are two main branches of hadronization: quark-gluon plasma (QGP) transformation and colour string decay into hadrons. The transformation o ...

* Hagedorn temperature, Transition to Quark-Gluon Plasma *

Hall effect The Hall effect is the production of a voltage difference (the Hall voltage) across an electrical conductor that is transverse to an electric current in the conductor and to an applied magnetic field perpendicular to the current. It was dis ...

* Hall-effect thruster * Hasegawa–Mima equation *

Heat shield In thermodynamics, heat is defined as the form of energy crossing the boundary of a thermodynamic system by virtue of a temperature difference across the boundary. A thermodynamic system does not ''contain'' heat. Nevertheless, the term is al ...

* Heat torch * Helically Symmetric Experiment * Helicon double-layer thruster *

Helicon (physics) In electromagnetism, a helicon is a low-frequency electromagnetic wave that can exist in bounded plasmas in the presence of a magnetic field. The first helicons observed were atmospheric whistlers, but they also exist in solid conductorsBowers, ...

Heliosphere The heliosphere is the magnetosphere, astrosphere and outermost atmospheric layer of the Sun. It takes the shape of a vast, bubble-like region of space. In plasma physics terms, it is the cavity formed by the Sun in the surrounding interstell ...

Heliospheric current sheet The heliospheric current sheet, or interplanetary current sheet, is a surface separating regions of the heliosphere where the interplanetary magnetic field points toward and away from the Sun. A small electrical current with a current density of ...

Helium Helium (from el, ἥλιος, helios, lit=sun) is a chemical element with the symbol He and atomic number 2. It is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, non-toxic, inert, monatomic gas and the first in the noble gas group in the periodic ta ...

Helium line ratio The analysis of line intensity ratios is an important tool to obtain information about laboratory and space plasmas. In emission spectroscopy, the intensity of spectral lines can provide various information about the plasma (or gas) condition. It ...

Helmet streamer Helmet streamers, also known as coronal streamers, are elongated cusp-like structures in the Sun's corona which are often visible in white-light coronagraphs and during solar eclipses. They are closed magnetic loops which lie above divisions betw ...

Hessdalen light The Hessdalen lights are unidentified lights observed in a stretch of the Hessdalen valley in rural central Norway. Background The Hessdalen lights are of unknown origin. They appear both by day and by night, and seem to float through and abov ...

High beta fusion reactor The Lockheed Martin Compact Fusion Reactor (CFR) is a fusion power project at Lockheed Martin’s Skunk Works. Its high-beta configuration, which implies that the ratio of plasma pressure to magnetic pressure is greater than or equal to 1 (compare ...

* High-energy nuclear physics *

High-frequency Active Auroral Research Program The High-frequency Active Auroral Research Program (HAARP) was initiated as an ionospheric research program jointly funded by the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Navy, the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and the Defense Advanced Research Projects A ...

* High harmonic generation *

High-intensity discharge lamp High-intensity discharge lamps (HID lamps) are a type of electrical gas-discharge lamp which produces light by means of an electric arc between tungsten electrodes housed inside a translucent or transparent fused quartz or fused alumina arc tu ...

High Power Impulse Magnetron Sputtering High-power impulse magnetron sputtering (HIPIMS or HiPIMS, also known as high-power pulsed magnetron sputtering, HPPMS) is a method for physical vapor deposition of thin films which is based on magnetron sputter deposition. HIPIMS utilises extre ...

High voltage High voltage electricity refers to electrical potential large enough to cause injury or damage. In certain industries, ''high voltage'' refers to voltage above a certain threshold. Equipment and conductors that carry high voltage warrant sp ...

* HiPER, High-Power laser Energy Research facility *

Hiss (electromagnetic) Electromagnetic hiss is a naturally occurring Extremely Low Frequency/Very Low Frequency electromagnetic wave (i.e., 300 Hz – 10 kHz) that is generated in the plasma of either the Earth's ionosphere or magnetosphere. Its name is deri ...

, Plasmaspheric hiss *

Hollow cathode effect The hollow cathode effect allows electrical conduction at a lower voltage or with more current in a cold-cathode gas-discharge lamp when the cathode is a conductive tube open at one end than a similar lamp with a flat cathode. The hollow cathode e ...

* Hollow-cathode lamp *

Holtsmark distribution The (one-dimensional) Holtsmark distribution is a continuous probability distribution. The Holtsmark distribution is a special case of a stable distribution with the index of stability or shape parameter \alpha equal to 3/2 and the skewness parame ...

Homopolar generator A homopolar generator is a DC electrical generator comprising an electrically conductive disc or cylinder rotating in a plane perpendicular to a uniform static magnetic field. A potential difference is created between the center of the disc and t ...

Horizon problem The horizon problem (also known as the homogeneity problem) is a cosmological fine-tuning problem within the Big Bang model of the universe. It arises due to the difficulty in explaining the observed homogeneity of causally disconnected region ...

Hydrogen Hydrogen is the chemical element with the symbol H and atomic number 1. Hydrogen is the lightest element. At standard conditions hydrogen is a gas of diatomic molecules having the formula . It is colorless, odorless, tasteless, non-to ...

Hydrogen sensor A hydrogen sensor is a gas detector that detects the presence of hydrogen. They contain micro-fabricated point-contact hydrogen sensors and are used to locate hydrogen leaks. They are considered low-cost, compact, durable, and easy to maintain as ...

Hypernova A hypernova (sometimes called a collapsar) is a very energetic supernova thought to result from an extreme core-collapse scenario. In this case, a massive star (>30 solar masses) collapses to form a rotating black hole emitting twin energetic je ...

Hypersonic speed In aerodynamics, a hypersonic speed is one that exceeds 5 times the speed of sound, often stated as starting at speeds of Mach 5 and above. The precise Mach number at which a craft can be said to be flying at hypersonic speed varies, since indi ...

Hypersonic wind tunnel A hypersonic wind tunnel is designed to generate a hypersonic flow field in the working section, thus simulating the typical flow features of this flow regime - including compression shocks and pronounced boundary layer effects, entropy layer and ...

Hypervelocity Hypervelocity is very high velocity, approximately over 3,000 meters per second (6,700 mph, 11,000 km/h, 10,000 ft/s, or Mach 8.8). In particular, hypervelocity is velocity so high that the strength of materials upon impact is v ...

* Hypertherm

I

IEEE Nuclear and Plasma Sciences Society The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) is a 501(c)(3) professional association for electronic engineering and electrical engineering (and associated disciplines) with its corporate office in New York City and its opera ...

IGNITOR Ignitor is the Italian name for a planned tokamak device, developed by ENEA. , the device has not been constructed. Started in 1977 by Prof. Bruno Coppi at MIT, Ignitor based on the 1970s Alcator machine at MIT which pioneered the high magnetic ...

IMAGE An image is a visual representation of something. It can be two-dimensional, three-dimensional, or somehow otherwise feed into the visual system to convey information. An image can be an artifact, such as a photograph or other two-dimensio ...

, Imager for Magnetopause-to-Aurora Global Exploration, Radio Plasma Imager * Impalefection *

Impulse generator An impulse generator is an electrical apparatus which produces very short high-voltage or high- current surges. Such devices can be classified into two types: impulse voltage generators and impulse current generators. High impulse voltages are u ...

* Incoherent scatter *

Induction plasma technology Induction plasma, also called inductively coupled plasma, is a type of high temperature plasma generated by electromagnetic induction, usually coupled with argon gas. The magnetic field induces an electric current within the gas which creates the p ...

Inductively coupled plasma An inductively coupled plasma (ICP) or transformer coupled plasma (TCP) is a type of plasma source in which the energy is supplied by electric currents which are produced by electromagnetic induction, that is, by time-varying magnetic fields. Ope ...

* Inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectroscopy * Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry *

Inelastic mean free path The inelastic mean free path (IMFP) is an index of how far an electron on average travels through a solid before losing energy. If a monochromatic primary beam of electrons is incident on a solid surface, the majority of incident electrons lose t ...

inertial confinement fusion Inertial confinement fusion (ICF) is a fusion energy process that initiates nuclear fusion reactions by compressing and heating targets filled with thermonuclear fuel. In modern machines, the targets are small spherical pellets about the size of ...

* Inertial electrostatic confinement *

Inertial fusion power plant Inertial Fusion Energy is a proposed approach to building a nuclear fusion power plant based on performing inertial confinement fusion at industrial scale. This approach to fusion power is still in a research phase. ICF first developed shortly af ...

Instability In numerous fields of study, the component of instability within a system is generally characterized by some of the outputs or internal states growing without bounds. Not all systems that are not stable are unstable; systems can also be mar ...

Insulated-gate bipolar transistor An insulated-gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) is a three-terminal power semiconductor device primarily used as an electronic switch, which, as it was developed, came to combine high efficiency and fast switching. It consists of four alternating lay ...

Insulator (electrical) An electrical insulator is a material in which electric current does not flow freely. The atoms of the insulator have tightly bound electrons which cannot readily move. Other materials—semiconductors and conductors—conduct electric current ...

Interbol Interbol (russian: Интербол) is an international space project under the leadership of the Russian Space Agency and the Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences. The list of participants includes the Institute of Atmosphe ...

Intergalactic medium Intergalactic may refer to: * "Intergalactic" (song), a song by the Beastie Boys * ''Intergalactic'' (TV series), a 2021 UK science fiction TV series * Intergalactic space * Intergalactic travel, travel between galaxies in science fiction and ...

International Reference Ionosphere International Reference Ionosphere (IRI) is a common permanent scientific project of the Committee on Space Research (COSPAR) and the International Union of Radio Science (URSI) started 1968/69. It is the international standard empirical model fo ...

Interplanetary magnetic field The interplanetary magnetic field (IMF), now more commonly referred to as the heliospheric magnetic field (HMF), is the component of the solar magnetic field that is dragged out from the solar corona by the solar wind flow to fill the Solar Sy ...

Interplanetary medium The interplanetary medium (IPM) or interplanetary space consists of the mass and energy which fills the Solar System The Solar System Capitalization of the name varies. The International Astronomical Union, the authoritative body regarding ...

Interplanetary scintillation In astronomy, interplanetary scintillation refers to random fluctuations in the intensity of radio waves of celestial origin, on the timescale of a few seconds. It is analogous to the twinkling one sees looking at stars in the sky at night, but ...

Interstellar medium In astronomy, the interstellar medium is the matter and radiation that exist in the space between the star systems in a galaxy. This matter includes gas in ionic, atomic, and molecular form, as well as dust and cosmic rays. It fills interstella ...

* Interstellar

nebula A nebula ('cloud' or 'fog' in Latin; pl. nebulae, nebulæ or nebulas) is a distinct luminescent part of interstellar medium, which can consist of ionized, neutral or molecular hydrogen and also cosmic dust. Nebulae are often star-forming regio ...

Interstellar travel Interstellar travel is the hypothetical travel of spacecraft from one star system, solitary star, or planetary system to another. Interstellar travel is expected to prove much more difficult than interplanetary spaceflight due to the vast diffe ...

Intracluster medium In astronomy, the intracluster medium (ICM) is the superheated plasma that permeates a galaxy cluster. The gas consists mainly of ionized hydrogen and helium and accounts for most of the baryonic material in galaxy clusters. The ICM is heated to t ...

* Io-

Jupiter Jupiter is the fifth planet from the Sun and the largest in the Solar System. It is a gas giant with a mass more than two and a half times that of all the other planets in the Solar System combined, but slightly less than one-thousand ...

flux tube * Ion *

Ionized-air glow Ionized-air glow is the luminescent emission of characteristic blue–purple–violet light, often of a color called electric blue, by air subjected to an energy flux either directly or indirectly from solar radiation. Processes When energy ...

Ion acoustic wave In plasma physics, an ion acoustic wave is one type of longitudinal oscillation of the ions and electrons in a plasma, much like acoustic waves traveling in neutral gas. However, because the waves propagate through positively charged ions, ion aco ...

Ion beam An ion beam is a type of charged particle beam consisting of ions. Ion beams have many uses in electronics manufacturing (principally ion implantation) and other industries. A variety of ion beam sources exists, some derived from the mercu ...

* Ion-beam shepherd *

Ion cyclotron resonance Ion cyclotron resonance is a phenomenon related to the movement of ions in a magnetic field. It is used for accelerating ions in a cyclotron, and for measuring the masses of an ionized analyte in mass spectrometry, particularly with Fourier transfo ...

* Ion gun * Ion laser *

Ion optics An electrostatic lens is a device that assists in the transport of charged particles. For instance, it can guide electrons emitted from a sample to an electron analyzer, analogous to the way an optical lens assists in the transport of light in an op ...

* Ion plating *

Ion source An ion source is a device that creates atomic and molecular ions. Ion sources are used to form ions for mass spectrometers, optical emission spectrometers, particle accelerators, ion implanters and ion engines. Electron ionization Electron ...

Ion wind Ion wind, ionic wind, corona wind or electric wind is the airflow induced by electrostatic forces linked to corona discharge arising at the tips of some sharp conductors (such as points or blades) subjected to high voltage relative to ground. Ion ...

Ionosphere The ionosphere () is the ionized part of the upper atmosphere of Earth, from about to above sea level, a region that includes the thermosphere and parts of the mesosphere and exosphere. The ionosphere is ionized by solar radiation. It plays ...

Ionospheric heater An ionospheric heater, or an ionospheric HF pump facility, is a powerful radio wave transmitter with an array of antennas which is used for research of plasma turbulence, the ionosphere and upper atmosphere.Powerful electromagnetic waves for activ ...

Ionospheric propagation In radio communication, skywave or skip refers to the propagation of radio waves reflected or refracted back toward Earth from the ionosphere, an electrically charged layer of the upper atmosphere. Since it is not limited by the curvature of ...

* Isotope-ratio mass spectrometry, Multiple collector – inductively coupled plasma – mass spectrometry (MC-ICP-MS) *

ITER ITER (initially the International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor, ''iter'' meaning "the way" or "the path" in Latin) is an international nuclear fusion research and engineering megaproject aimed at creating energy by replicating, on Ear ...

, International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor

J

* Jellium, uniform electron gas, homogeneous electron gas * Jet (particle physics) * Jet quenching * Joint European Torus

K

* Kennelly–Heaviside layer, E region * Kinetics (physics) * Kink instability * Kirchhoff's circuit laws * Kite applications, plasma kite * Kosterlitz–Thouless transition * KSTAR, Korea Superconducting Tokamak Advanced Research * Kværner-process, Plasma burner, Plasma variation

L

* Lagrange point colonization * Landau damping * Langmuir probe * Large Hadron Collider * Large Helical Device * Large Plasma Device * Laser-hybrid welding * Laser-induced breakdown spectroscopy, Laser Induced Plasma Spectroscopy * Laser-induced fluorescence * Laser ablation * Laser ablation synthesis in solution * Laser plasma acceleration * Lawson criterion * Lerche–Newberger sum rule * Le Sage's theory of gravitation * Levitated dipole * LIDAR * Lightcraft * Lightning * LINUS (Fusion Experiment) * List of hydrodynamic instabilities * List of plasma physicists * Low-Frequency Array (LOFAR), LOFAR, Low Frequency Array * Longitudinal wave * Lorentz force * Low-energy electron diffraction * Lower hybrid oscillation * Low-pressure discharge * Luminescent solar concentrator * Lundquist number * Luttinger liquid

M

* Madison Symmetric Torus * MagBeam, also called Magnetized beamed plasma propulsion, plasma wind * Magnetic bottle * Magnetic braking (astronomy), Magnetic braking * Magnetic cloud * Magnetic confinement fusion * Magnetic diffusivity * Magnetic field * Magnetic field oscillating amplified thruster, Plasma Engine * Magnetic helicity * Magnetic mirror * Magnetic Prandtl number * Magnetic pressure * Magnetic proton recoil neutron spectrometer * Magnetic radiation reaction force * Magnetic reconnection * Magnetic Reynolds number * Magnetic sail, Mini-magnetospheric plasma propulsion * Magnetic tail * Magnetic tension force * Magnetic weapon * Magnetization reversal by circularly polarized light * Magnetized target fusion * Magnetogravity wave * Magnetohydrodynamic drive * MHD generator * Magnetohydrodynamics * Magnetohydrodynamic turbulence * Magneto-optical trap * Magnetopause * Magnetoplasmadynamic thruster * Magnetosheath * Magnetosonic wave, also magnetoacoustic wave * Magnetosphere * Magnetosphere chronology * Magnetosphere of Saturn, Sources and transport of plasma * Magnetosphere particle motion * Magnetospheric Multiscale Mission * Magnetotellurics#Energy sources, Magnetotellurics * MAGPIE, stands for Mega Ampere Generator for Plasma Implosion Experiments, Marx generator * MARAUDER, acronym of Magnetically Accelerated Ring to Achieve Ultra-high Directed Energy and Radiation * Marchywka Effect * Marfa lights * Many-body problem * Mars Express * Mass driver, or electromagnetic catapult * Mass spectrometry * Material point method * Maxwell–Boltzmann distribution * Maxwell's equations * Mechanically Stimulated Gas Emission * Mega Ampere Spherical Tokamak * Metallic bond * Metallizing * Metamaterial antenna * Microplasma * Microstructured optical arrays * Microturbulence * Microwave digestion * Microwave discharge * Microwave plasma-assisted CVD * Microwave plasma * Migma * MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center * Moreton wave * Multipactor effect

N

* Nanoflares * Nanoparticle * Nanoscale plasmonic motor * Nanoshell * National Compact Stellarator Experiment * National Spherical Torus Experiment * Navier–Stokes equations * Negative index metamaterials * Negative resistance * Negative temperature * Neon lighting * Neon sign * Neutral beam injection * Neutron generator * Neutron source * Neutron star spin-up * New Horizons, Plasma and high energy particle spectrometer suite (PAM) * Nitrogen–phosphorus detector * Nonequilibrium Gas and Plasma Dynamics Laboratory * Non-line-of-sight propagation * Non-thermal microwave effect * Nonthermal plasma, Cold plasma * Nuclear fusion, Bremsstrahlung losses in quasineutral, isotropic plasmas, deuterium plasma * Nuclear pulse propulsion * Nuclear pumped laser * Numerical diffusion * Numerical resistivity

O

* Ohmic contact * Onset of deconfinement * Optode * Optoelectric nuclear battery * Orbitrap * Outer space

P

* Particle-in-cell * Particle accelerator * Paschen's law * Peek's law * Pegasus Toroidal Experiment * Penning mixture * Penrose criterion * Perhapsatron * Phased plasma gun * Photon * Photonic metamaterial * Photonics * Physical cosmology * Physical vapor deposition * Piezoelectric direct discharge plasma * Pinch (plasma physics) * Planetary nebula * Planetary nebula luminosity function * Plasma-desorption mass spectrometry * Plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition * Plasma-immersion ion implantation * Plasma-powered cannon * Plasma (physics) * Plasma acceleration * Plasma Acoustic Shield System * Plasma activated bonding * Plasma activation * Plasma actuator * Plasma antenna * Plasma arc waste disposal, Incineration * Plasma arc welding * Plasma channel * Plasma chemistry * Plasma cleaning * Plasma Contactor * Plasma containment * Plasma conversion * Plasma cosmology, ambiplasma * Plasma cutting, Plasma gouging * Plasma deep drilling technology * Plasma diagnostics, Self Excited Electron Plasma Resonance Spectroscopy (SEERS) * Plasma display * Plasma effect * Plasma electrolytic oxidation * Plasma etcher * Plasma etching * Plasma frequency * Plasma functionalization * Plasma gasification commercialization * Plasma globe * Plasma lamp * Plasma medicine * Plasma modeling * Plasma nitriding * Plasma oscillation * Plasma parameter * Plasma parameters * Plasma pencil * Plasma polymerization * Plasma processing * Plasma propulsion engine * Plasma Pyrolysis Waste Treatment and Disposal * Plasma receiver * Plasma scaling * Plasma shaping * Plasma sheet * Plasma shield, Plasma window * Plasma sound source * Plasma source * Plasma speaker * Plasma spray * Plasma spraying, Thermal spraying, Surface finishing * Plasma stability * Plasma stealth * Plasma torch * Plasma transferred wire arc thermal spraying * Plasma valve * Plasma weapon * Plasma weapon (fiction) * Plasma window, Force shield, Force field * Plasmadynamics and Electric Propulsion Laboratory * Plasmaphone * Plasmapper * Plasmaron * Plasmasphere * Plasmoid * Plasmon * Plasmonic cover, Theories of cloaking * Plasmonic laser, Nanolaser * Plasmonic metamaterials * Plasmonic nanolithography * Plasmonic Nanoparticles * Plasmonic solar cell * Polarization density * Polarization ripples * Polar (satellite) * Polymeric surfaces * Polywell * Ponderomotive force * Princeton field-reversed configuration experiment * Propulsive Fluid Accumulator, nuclear-powered magnetohydrodynamic electromagnetic plasma thruster * Proton beam * Pseudospark switch * Pulsed Energy Projectile * Pulsed laser deposition, Dynamic of the plasma * Pulsed plasma thruster, also Plasma Jet Engines

Q

* Q-machine * QCD matter * Quadrupole ion trap * Quantum cascade laser * Quark–gluon plasma * Quarkonium * Quasar * Quasiparticle

R

* Radiation * Radiation damage * Radical polymerization * Radioactive waste * Radio atmospheric * Radio galaxy * Radio halo * Radio relics * Railgun * Radio Aurora Explorer (RAX) * Random phase approximation * Ray tracing (physics) * Reactive-ion etching * Reaction engine * Rectifier, Plasma type * Refractive index * Reionization * Relativistic beaming * Relativistic jet * Relativistic particle * Relativistic plasma * Relativistic similarity parameter * Remote plasma-enhanced CVD * Resistive ballooning mode * Resolved sideband cooling * Resonant magnetic perturbations * Resonator mode * Reversed field pinch * Richtmyer–Meshkov instability * Riggatron * Ring current * Rocket engine nozzle * Runaway breakdown * Rydberg atom * Rydberg matter

S

* Safety factor (plasma physics) * Saha ionization equation * Sceptre (fusion reactor) * Scramjet * Screened Poisson equation * SEAgel, Safe Emulsion Agar gel * Selected-ion flow-tube mass spectrometry * Self-focusing * Sensitive high-resolution ion microprobe * Shielding gas * Shiva laser * Shiva Star * Shock diamond * Shocks and discontinuities (magnetohydrodynamics) * Shock wave, Oblique shock * Skin effect * Skip zone * Sky brightness * Skywave * Slapper detonator * Small Tight Aspect Ratio Tokamak * Solar cycle, Cosmic ray flux * Solar flare * Solar Orbiter, Radio and Plasma Wave analyser * Solar prominence * Solar transition region * Solar wind * Solenoid * Solution precursor plasma spray, Plasma plume * Sonoluminescence * South Atlantic Anomaly * Southern Hemisphere Auroral Radar Experiment * Space physics * Spacequake * Space Shuttle * Space Shuttle thermal protection system * Space tether missions * Spark-gap transmitter * Spark plasma sintering * Spaser * Spectral imaging * Spectral line * Spherical tokamak * Spheromak * Spinplasmonics * Spontaneous emission * Spreeta * Sprite (lightning) * Sputter cleaning * Sputter deposition * Sputtering * SSIES, Special Sensors-Ions, Electrons, and Scintillation thermal plasma analysis package * SST-1 (tokamak), Steady State Tokamak * Star * Star lifting * State of matter * Static forces and virtual-particle exchange * Stellarator * Stellar-wind bubble * St. Elmo's fire * Strahl (astronomy) * Strangeness production * Strontium vapor laser * Structure formation * Sudden ionospheric disturbance * Sun * SUNIST, Sino-UNIted Spherical Tokamak, Alfven wave current drive experiments in spherical tokamak plasmas * Superlens, Plasmon-assisted microscopy * Supernova * Supernova remnants * Sura Ionospheric Heating Facility * Surface-wave-sustained mode * Surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy * Surface plasmon * Surface plasmon polaritons * Surface plasmon resonance * Suspension plasma spray * Synchrotron light source

T

* Taylor state * Teller–Ulam design, Foam plasma pressure * Tesla coil * Test particle, in plasma physics or electrodynamics * Thermal barrier coating * Thermalisation * Thermionic converter * Thermodynamic temperature * Thomson scattering * Thunder * Tokamak * Tokamak à configuration variable * Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor * Toroidal ring model * Townsend discharge * Townsend (unit) * Transformation optics * Transmission medium * Trisops, Force Free Plasma Vortices * Tunable diode laser absorption spectroscopy * Tweeter, Plasma or Ion tweeter * Two-dimensional guiding-center plasma * Two-dimensional point vortex gas * Two-stream instability

U

* U-HID, Ultra High Intensity Discharge * UMIST linear system * Undulator * Upper hybrid oscillation * Upper-atmospheric lightning

V

* Vacuum arc, thermionic vacuum arc generates a pure metal and ceramic vapour plasma * Van Allen radiation belt * Vapor–liquid–solid method * Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket * Vector inversion generator * Versatile Toroidal Facility * Violet wand * Virial theorem * Vlasov equation * Volatilisation * VORPAL, Versatile Object-oriented Relativistic Plasma Analysis with Lasers * Voyager program, Plasma Wave Subsystem

W

* Warm dense matter * Wave equation * Waves in plasmas * Wave turbulence * Weibel instability * Wendelstein 7-X * Wiggler (synchrotron) * WIND (spacecraft) * Wingless Electromagnetic Air Vehicle * Wireless energy transfer * Wouthuysen-Field coupling

X

* XANES, X-ray Absorption Near Edge Structure * Xenon arc lamp * X-ray transient * X-ray astronomy * X-shaped radio galaxy

Y

Z

* Zakharov system * Zero-point energy * ZETA (fusion reactor) * Zonal and poloidal * Zonal flow (plasma) * Z Pulsed Power Facility

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Plasma physics articles Physics-related lists Plasma physics, * Indexes of science articles Lists of topics, Plasma physics

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

V

W

X

Y

Z

See also

References