For the first time, researchers have successfully created a complex plasma, described as a “fourth state of matter,” in a laboratory environment. Complex plasma is a form of matter that consists of electrons, ions and micron-sized particles suspended in a gas. It has been studied for decades in space, but never in a laboratory setting.

This breakthrough could have the potential to revolutionize the field of plasma physics, and open up the possibility of a new way to store and transport energy. The research team, led by Professor Jan Egedal at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, created the complex plasma by combining high-power lasers and plasma-producing electrodes. Their work has been published in the journal Nature Physics.

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source: Phys.org