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Metastable supercooled plasmaProkhorov General Physics Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Vavilova 38, Moscow, 119991, Russian Federation The computer ab initio simulation and analytical theory that revealed unexpected nonergodic properties in a classical Coulomb plasma are reviewed. The results of a many-charged-particle system simulation predict the possible existence of a real metastable plasma, supercooled with respect to its degree of ionisation. The existence of such a plasma state is a consequence of the entropy conservation in isolated Hamiltonian systems free from any stochastic action from outside. The occurrence of a metastable supercooled plasma-similar to a supercooled vapour or superheated liquid- depends on two conditions. Firstly, all the charged particles should behave exactly according to the laws of classical mechanics (hence, most negatively-charged particles should preferably be heavy ions). Secondly, the plasma ionisation degree should be sufficiently high (α>10-3) . It is shown from thermodynamic consiferations that a mixture of a supercooled plasma with an ideal gas might form a plasmoid of the ball lightning type.
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