Summary

Extreme states of matter include exceptionally high and low temperatures, incredibly high pressures, intense magnetic fields, and intense gravitational fields. Because scientists are curious individuals, they often like to speculate about nature under conditions well beyond the conditions encountered and measured in their laboratories here on Earth. 

Extreme States of Matter takes the reader on an incredible journey across the most exciting scientific frontiers of the 21st century. Supported by a generous quantity of full-color illustrations and many interesting sidebars, this new volume describes the unusual and almost bizarre characteristics and properties of matter at extreme states. A large portion of the book is devoted to plasmas, which permeate the solar system as well as interstellar and intergalactic environments.

Chapters include:

• Beyond Common States of Matter
• Very Hot Matter
• Very Cold Matter
• Degenerate Matter
• Black Holes—Extremely Isolated Matter
• Dark Matter
• Antimatter
• Matter and Relativity
• Exploring the Quark—Gluon Plasma (QGP)
• Other Frontiers of Matter Science.

Specifications

Full-color photographs and line illustrations. Index. Appendix. Glossary. Chronology. Further resources.

About the Author(s)

Joseph A. Angelo Jr., Ph.D., is a retired U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel and is currently an adjunct professor in the science department of Valencia Community College, where he teaches an introductory astronomy course called The Cosmic Perspective. He is the author of many reference books, including the Frontiers in Space set and the award-winning Encyclopedia of Space and Astronomy, both for Facts On File.