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Matter consists of atoms held together by electromagnetic forces. How tight these bonds are, determines which of the four states: solid, liquid, gas and plasma, matter exists as. Plasma is only found naturally in the corona and cores of stars and in bolts of lightning. There are three classic states of matter: solid, liquid, and gas; however, plasma is considered by some scientists to be the fourth state of matter. The plasma state is not …

…physicists are studying devices that create and confine very hot plasmas in magnetic fields. In space, plasma processes are largely responsible for shielding Earth from cosmic radiation, and much of the Sun's influence on Earth occurs by energy transfer through the ionized layers of the upper atmosphere. Plasma and its properties will become very important in the energy field, in that if its energy was captured, it would be more powerful than current nuclear power.