Discover

Share

Download

Features

/

Article

Twenty years of physics: Plasmas

MAY 01, 1968

DOI: 10.1063/1.3034967

Melvin B. Gottlieb

TWENTY YEARS AGO the study of plasmas occupied a relatively minor role in physics: The wide variety of plasma phenomena remained unexplored. The field had its origin early in this century in the study of the gas discharge, a relatively dense, slightly ionized plasma regime where the dominant effects are ionization, excitation, recombination and other atomic collision processes. Irving Langmuir initiated modern plasma physics through his discovery of plasma electrostatic oscillations and his realization that this was an aspect of collective particle motion. It is these collective motions which, generating and interacting with electric and magnetic fields, are responsible for the wealth of physical phenomena that take place in a plasma and make it so different from ordinary fluids.

This article is only available in PDF format

More about the Authors

Melvin B. Gottlieb. Plasma Physics Laboratory, Princeton University.

© 1968 American Institute of Physics

Related content

Features

/

Article

Superconducting quantum circuits: At the heart of the 2025 Nobel Prize in Physics

Although motivated by the fundamental exploration of the weirdness of the quantum world, the prizewinning experiments have led to a promising branch of quantum computing technology.

November 25, 2025 03:04 PM

Features

/

Article

Solid-state batteries: Hype, hopes, and hurdles

As conventional lithium-ion battery technology approaches its theoretical limits, researchers are studying alternative architectures with solid electrolytes.

November 10, 2025 10:22 AM

Features

/

Article

Teaching nanostructures to build themselves

Bottom-up self-assembly is a powerful approach to engineering at small scales. Special strategies are needed to formulate components that assemble into predetermined shapes with precise sizes.

November 05, 2025 11:29 AM

Features

/

Article

Remembering Richard Garwin, physicist and science adviser

The polymath scientist leaves behind a monumental legacy in both the scientific and political realms.

November 04, 2025 09:53 AM

This Content Appeared In

Volume 21, Number 5

Get PT in your inbox

Physics Today - The Week in Physics

The Week in Physics" is likely a reference to the regular updates or summaries of new physics research, such as those found in publications like Physics Today from AIP Publishing or on news aggregators like Phys.org.

Physics Today - Table of Contents

Physics Today - Whitepapers & Webinars