Dr Zhanna Samsonova and Dr Daniil Kartashov in a laser lab. Image: Jan-Peter Kasper (University of Jena)
Physicists create plasma for the first time using nanowires and long-wavelength ultrashort pulse laser. Light Physicists at the University of Jena have developed a new method for producing plasma, enabling them to deal with some of the problems that stand in the way of this extremely difficult process. The three classic physical states - solid, liquid and gaseous - can be observed in any normal kitchen, for example when you bring an ice cube to the boil. But if you heat material even further, so that the atoms of a substance collide and the electrons separate from them, then another state is reached: plasma. More than 99 per cent of material in space is present in this form, inside stars for instance. It is therefore no wonder that physicists are keen to study such material. Unfortunately, creating and studying plasmas on Earth using the high temperature and pressure that exist inside stars is extremely challenging for various reasons.
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