Maryland Researchers Part Of $10 Million Plasma Study

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) -- The University of Michigan is opening a center for the study of low-temperature plasmas, which are considered promising in a range of technological advances.

The U.S. Energy Department has given a $10 million, five-year grant for the Center for Predictive Control of Plasma Kinetics.

Plasmas are a form of gas in which the particles are electrically charged.

Center Director Mark Kushner says plasma research could lead to breakthroughs in solar cells, microchips and medical surgery tools.

Researchers also are participating from Ohio State and West Virginia universities; the universities of Minnesota, Houston, California-Berkeley and Maryland; Princeton Plasma Physical Laboratory; and Sandia National Laboratory in New Mexico.