Charged particle

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In physics, a charged particle is a particle with an electric charge. It may be either a subatomic particle or an ion. A collection of charged particles, or even a gas containing a proportion of charged particles, is called a plasma, which is called the fourth state of matter because its properties are quite different from solids, liquids and gases. Particles either have a positive, negative or no charge (being neutral).

Their effects go beyond the laboratory though: see aurora borealis