Read the paper here: A stable atmospheric-pressure plasma for extreme-temperature synthesis

In a plasma, electrons separate from atoms and create a soup of charged particles that can be extremely hot and bright. This is particularly useful for manufacturing certain types of high temperature materials – and for experimenting with new materials. But plasmas can be hard to control, and existing methods require specialist equipment. Now a new technique using carbon fibres has been shown to be able to create a stable plasma with a uniform temperature – and the researchers say their kit will be much easier to construct in physics labs around the world.

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