Non-equilibrium Dynamics in Low-Temperature Plasmas

Low-temperature plasmas are intrinsically non-equilibrium systems in which electromagnetic fields, particle transport, and thermodynamic processes interact across multiple spatial and temporal scales. In recent years, increasing attention has been given to the role of topology, rotation, and structured flows in governing plasma stability, transport, turbulence, and energy conversion. However, many of these phenomena remain fragmented across theoretical, numerical, and experimental approaches. It is an important issue to study this medium experimentally by the use of passive and active spectroscopies.

This Research Topic aims to provide a unified platform for exploring ergontropic and topological perspectives in low-temperature plasma dynamics. The term ergontropic refers to systems in which mechanical, electromagnetic, and thermodynamic flows are coupled through gradients of angular momentum, vorticity, and field topology, enabling the conversion of organized motion into usable free energy. Within this framework, plasma is viewed not merely as a dissipative medium, but as a self-organizing system capable of storing, transporting, and redistributing energy through structured flow patterns and topological constraints.
Another interesting issue is the plasma diagnostics that may support the theoretical results. We may cite spectroscopy techniques enalbling a non-intrusive tool to infer plasma properties.

Contributions to this Research Topic will address how non-equilibrium conditions, differential rotation, magnetic topology, and entropy production shape plasma behavior in both natural and laboratory settings. The Topic welcomes interdisciplinary work bridging plasma physics, electrodynamics, thermodynamics, and applied topology, with relevance to plasma confinement, propulsion, energy conversion, and advanced plasma devices.

By bringing together diverse perspectives, this collection aims to clarify emerging physical principles underlying structured plasma dynamics and to stimulate new approaches to modeling, diagnostics, and applications of low-temperature plasmas.


The goal of this Research Topic is to address the growing need for coherent theoretical and experimental frameworks capable of describing structured, non-equilibrium dynamics in low-temperature plasmas. Classical approaches often treat transport, turbulence, and energy dissipation separately, limiting their ability to capture the coupled nature of flow, field topology, and thermodynamic processes.

This Topic seeks to advance understanding by focusing on ergontropic mechanisms—where gradients of angular momentum, vorticity, and electromagnetic structure drive energy conversion and self-organization—and on the role of topology in constraining plasma evolution. By integrating these viewpoints, the Research Topic aims to identify unifying principles that link plasma rotation, magnetic structure, entropy production, and transport phenomena.

Through contributions spanning theory, simulation, spectroscopic diagnostics, and applications, this collection will help establish new conceptual tools for analyzing low-temperature plasmas and support the development of innovative plasma-based technologies.


This Research Topic welcomes original research articles, reviews, mini-reviews, and perspective papers addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:

Non-equilibrium and entropy production mechanisms in low-temperature plasmas

Angular momentum transport, rotation, and vorticity in plasma flows

Topological effects, magnetic structure, and field-line organization

Coupled electrodynamic–thermodynamic plasma models

Plasma turbulence, self-organization, and structured transport

Applications to plasma confinement, propulsion, energy conversion, and plasma devices

Both theoretical and experimental contributions are encouraged, as well as numerical and hybrid approaches that bridge multiple scales or physical descriptions.

Emission and absorption spectroscopies to measure electron, vibrational and rotational temperatures as well as probe the main radicals formed in the low-temperature plasmas