Question

Want to know more about plasma and BEC

Answer 1

Plasma:

Plasma is considered the fourth state of matter. The three other states are solid, liquid, and gas. Plasma is a cloud of protons, neutrons and electrons where all the electrons have come loose from their respective molecules and atoms, giving the plasma the ability to act as a whole rather than as a bunch of atoms. A plasma is more like a gas than any of the other states of matter because the atoms are not in constant contact with each other, but it behaves differently from a gas. It has what scientists call collective behavior. This means that the plasma can flow like a liquid or it can contain areas that are like clumps of atoms sticking together.

Bose-Einstein Condensate:

Bose-Einstein Condensate (BEC) is a state of matter which is formed by cooling a gas of extremely low density,about one-hundred-thousandth the density of normal air, to super low temperature. It is the fifth state of matter.

As atoms cool, they behave more like waves and less like particles. When cooled enough, their waves expand and begin to overlap. This is similar to steam condensing on a lid when it is boiled. The water clumps together to form a drop of water, or condensate. The same occurs with atoms, only it is their waves that merge together. Bose-Einstein condensates are similar to laser light. However, instead of photons behaving in a uniform manner, it is the atoms that exist in perfect union. Like a drop of water condensing, the low-energy atoms merge together to form a dense, indistinguishable lump.


Knowing more about BEC requires knowledge in Quantum Mechanics which is beyond the scope of our study.