Plasma is an ionized gaseous state, which is commonly used in the electrical arc of matter. In the plasma stage, matter can reach temperatures of over 3 million Kelvin and thus can't be contained in normal containers. Instead the plasma is usually contained with magnetic force fields used in plasma canisters and plasma infusers. The plasma can then be transferred through EPS conduits found in a starship's power transfer grid.
Plasma was first created on Earth during the 20th century, in a controlled environment within a prototype fusion reactor. However, the duration of the plasma's stability was limited with the current technological level of humans.
External Links
- Plasma article at Memory Alpha, the wiki for canon Star Trek.
- Plasma (physics) article at Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.