Most people know about solids, liquids, and gases as the main three states of matter, but a fourth state of matter exists as well. Plasma -- also known as ionized gas -- is the most abundant, observable form of matter in our universe, found in the sun and other celestial bodies.
The properties of these oscillations have traditionally been linked to the properties -- such as the temperature, density, or velocity -- of the plasma as a whole. However, Palastro and his colleagues determined a theoretical framework for plasma oscillations where the properties of the oscillations are completely independent of the plasma in which they exist.
The research has a variety of promising applications, most notably in helping to achieve clean-burning, commercial fusion energy.