Some think, there are only 3 states of matter. Well I say they are wrong. This slide show gives all the require info about the 4th and 5th states of matter, i.e. Plasma and Bose Einstein Condensate.
2. IntroductIon to
Plasma
The fourth state of matter is plasma. Plasma
is an ionized gas, a gas into which sufficient
energy is provided to free electrons from
atoms or molecules and to allow both
species, ions and electrons, to coexist. In
effect a 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.
4. More About Plasma
Plasmas are the most common state of
matter in the universe comprising more
than 99% of our visible universe and most
of that not visible. Plasma occurs naturally
and makes up the stuff of our sun, the core
of stars and occurs in quasars, x-ray beam
emitting pulsars, and supernovas.
On earth, plasma is naturally occurring in
flames, lightning and the auroras. Most
space plasmas have a very low density,
for example the Solar Wind which
averages only 10 particles per cubic-cm.
Inter-particle collisions are unlikely hence these plasmas are termed collision
less.
5. IntroductIon to
Bose-eInsteIn
condensate (BEC)
In 1995, two scientists, Cornell and
Weiman, finally created this new
state of matter. Two other scientists,
Satyendra Bose and Albert Einstein,
had predicted it in the 1920. They
didn't have the equipment and
facilities to make it happen in the 20s.
If plasmas are super hot and super
excited atoms, the atoms in a BoseEinstein condensate (BEC) are total
opposites. They are super-unexcited
and super-cold atoms .
7. More About BEC
Bose-Einstein condensation is an exotic quantum phenomenon
that was observed in dilute atomic gases for the first time in
1995, and is now the subject of intense theoretical and
experimental study.
"Condensates" are extremely low-temperature fluids which
contain properties and exhibit behaviours that are currently
not completely understood, such as spontaneously flowing
out of their containers. The effect is the consequence of
quantum mechanics, which states that since continuous
spectral regions can typically be neglected, systems can
almost always acquire energy only in discrete steps.
8. If a system is at such a low temperature that it is in the
lowest energy state, it is no longer possible for it to
reduce its energy, not even by friction. Without friction,
the fluid will easily overcome gravity because of
adhesion between the fluid and the container wall, and it
will take up the most favorable position, all around the
container.
This transition occurs below a critical temperature, which
for a uniform three-dimensional gas consisting of noninteracting particles with no apparent internal degrees
of freedom is given by:
where:
is
the critical temperature,
is
the particle density,
is
the mass per boson,
is
the reduced Planck constant,
is
the Boltzmann constant, and
is
the Riemann zeta function; (sequence A078434 in OEIS)