Cold Plasma

This is an atmospheric plasma produced by CPMI at U of I. The temperature is very low so that one can touch it with hands.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• Cold
• Plasma
• 2

[hellkid94]

what gas r u using, and how many volts?

[illinoiscpmi]

Mixed gases of helium and nitrogen. This is a microwave-induced plasma, appox. power is 30watts.

[daswada9]

@illinoiscpmi can cold plasma be used as a shield to stop rockets ?

[fuunguus]

@avenger391482 From the top of my head, maybe if we found a way to control neutrons we could have a shield with large amounts of neutrons traveling around the ship. Problem is neutrons are neutral, that's why they escape from the fusion reactors magnetic field and over time destroys the tear on the walls. I can imagine it would take some time to charge such a shield, but it could potentially be very powerful.

[avenger391482]

@fuunguus what substance would you recremend for energy shield then?

[fuunguus]

@fuunguus I didnt mean to say force, I just got back from the pub xD I mean time.

[fuunguus]

@avenger391482 I'm not entirely sure. I'm just talking from what I know. I should have said "in my opinion". I'm no physicist :P

Anyways, plasma isn't a dense substance, as you may know. Any larger objects with sufficient kinetic energy (forward motion), will go through the plasma like it was air. If the plasma was at high enough pressure, and wide enough so the object will have to travel through a lot of plasma, then the plasma would have enough energy and force to disintegrate the object.

[avenger391482]

@fuunguus are you sure it isn't possible to make a cold shield of plasma? maybe add some particles to the plasma to strengthen it?

[fuunguus]

@avenger391482 That would have to be a very thick barrier, and it'd have to be much much hotter than the sun. It may pulverize most objects trying to pass the barrier. It would require insane amounts of energy to keep the vicious plasma in place, electromagnetic forces are hard enough to create as is, this field would have to be gigantic, and the plasma will hold an inconceivable pressure at those temperatures, I don't think it would be beneficial to create such a shield.

[avenger391482]

is it possible to make an impassible barrier with plasma?

[sprocketman777]

How is the gas being heated, is it via a Magnetron or just a steady arc inside the device?