Exploring Plasma Balls

Plasma ball

Electrons are tiny, charged particles that surround all atoms which make up everything in the universe! In the Beus laboratory, we free electrons from their home in atoms and accelerate them to near the speed of light. In this demo, we show that by accelerating electrons through gas, we can produce colorful plasma inside a glass orb and change the direction of plasma filaments by touching different parts of the glass.

Location information

Campus: Tempe
Location type: Hallway
Room or location: Biodesign A or B Lobby
Indoors or outdoors: Indoors
Building Floor: First Floor

Other details

Zone: Zone D: Tempe

Science

Area of Interest

Science

Target Age Group

All ages

College or Department

Biodesign Institute

The Biodesign Institute at Arizona State University delivers the future of nature-inspired scientific innovation today for the betterment of human health, community safety and global sustainability.

The Biodesign Institute is a place unlike any other. Here, hundreds of scientists — biologists, physicists, chemists, engineers, mathematicians — cross boundaries and work together, creating nature-inspired solutions to global challenges in health, sustainability and security.

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