Ignition

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Ignition occurs when the heat produced by a reaction becomes sufficient to sustain a chemical reaction. The sudden change from a cold gas to a hot plasma in a plasma source is also called ignition.

See also: Making fire

Other uses of ignition include:

  • in chemistry, it refers to heating a material to the point that it spontaneously combusts, or until it ceases to lose mass.
  • in nuclear fusion, it refers to the conditions under which a plasma can be maintained by fusion reactions without external energy input.
  • in semiconductor processing, ignition is the process of starting up a plasma generator. In DC plasma systems, this involves a transition from voltaic arcing to sustained and delocalized plasma generation.
  • an ignition system is a method for activating and controlling the combustion of fuel in an internal combustion engine, often through the use of a key

Ignition may also refer to: