http://www.wired.com/science/discoverie ... ery_plasma
They actually said this with a straight face?
Apparently they're unaware of IEEE's journal(s) in plasma physics? Or, well, ANYthing about plasma?But even though plasma is the most common state of matter in the universe, relatively little is known about how it works. Scientists hope that by studying it in the lab, they may understand the sun's fusion energy, which would provide limitless, clean power for the planet.
I mean, hello...?? Read Birkeland! Read Alfven! Read Langmuir! Read CER Bruce & Eric Crew. Read Bostick. Read Peratt / Dessler. Read Thornhill, Scott & Ransom (maybe not *AS* widely published as some of the priors, but still).
Though they weren't plasma scientists per se (I think), read ER Rathbun and Bernard Vonnegut!
It's not rocket science, folks! Though I guess it is PLASMA SCIENCE... Heck, it's even got its own peer reviewed IEEE journal (as mentioned above):
(IEEE Transactions on Plasma Science)
http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpl/RecentIs ... unumber=27
The notion that plasmas are not well understood appears to be something of a bit of rubbish. Perhaps plasma science isn't perfect, but A LOT *IS* known about plasma. Now, if astrophysicists and solar physicists would just apply some of what Birkeland and Alfven pioneered [correctly], we MIGHT just get somewhere... 'Til then, it's a crapshoot, apparently!
Cheers,
~Michael Gmirkin