Plasma is an electrically conducting medium that responds to electric and magnetic fields. It consists of large quantities highly reactive species, such as ions, energetic electrons, exited atoms molecules, ultraviolet photons, metastable active radicals. Non-thermal or cold plasmas are partially ionized gases whose electron temperatures usually exceed several tens thousand degrees K, while the...

Atmospheric-pressure plasmas are used in a variety of materials processes. Traditional sources include transferred arcs, plasma torches, corona discharges, and dielectric barrier discharges. In arcs and torches, the electron and neutral temperatures exceed 3000 C and the densities of charge species range from 10 –10 cm . Due to the high gas temperature, these plasmas are used primarily in metal...