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2. Vector nonlinearities (vortices, etc.)
3. Chaotic behavior.
1.2 Plasma as the Fourth State of Matter
Plasma is a quasineutral gas of charged and neutral particles which
exhibits collective behavior. Here, we will define "quasineutral" and "col-
lective behavior". Firstly, quasineutral means that, the density of positive
ions approximately equals to the density of electrons , ≈ ≡
where is a plasma density, but not all the electromagnetic forces vanish.
Now, "collective behavior" means that, the motions depend not only on
local conditions but also on plasma state [4, 5]. With few exceptions, dis-
crete particle interactions, i.e. collisions, are omitted from these analysis,
[6, 7], and collective interactions are assumed to dominate on the time and
length scales of interest. In this case, the plasma may be described within
the framework of the Vlasov-Maxwell equations [8, 9].
1.2.1 Another Definition of Plasma
The study of charged particles collected in a sufficient number so
that, the long-range Coulomb force is a factor determining their statistical
properties [5].
1.2.2 Plasma Parameters
The charged particles in a plasma rearrange their positions to effec-
tively shield electrostatic fields within a small distance characterized by
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the Debye length (= ( 4 ) 12 ) where and are the electron
temperature, the electronic charge and Boltzmann constant, respectively.
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