Growing refractory crystals with a plasm torch

The plasma torch, at least in its basic concept if not in its experimental realization, is a straight-forward idea and contains no new physics. An ionized gas is placed in the magnetic field of the workcoil of an induction furnace and this field acts on the gas much as it would on a metal - currents are induced in the gas and resistance to this current produces heat. There are, of course, differences between a gas and a metal and consequently some experimental problems in keeping a flowing gas conducting and the torch stable.