The maximum number of states of matter is five. There are five known phases, or states, of matter: solids, liquids, gases, plasma and Bose-Einstein condensates. The main difference in the structures of each state is in the densities of the particles. Plasma is not a common state of matter here on Earth, but may be the most common state of matter in the universe. Plasma consists of highly charged particles with extremely high kinetic energy.The noble gases (helium, neon, argon, krypton, xenon and radon) are often used to make glowing signs by using electricity to ionise them to the plasma state. Stars are essentially super-heated balls of plasma. In 1995, technology enabled the scientists to create a ew state of matter, the BoseEinstein condensate (BEC). Using a combination of lasers and magnets, Eric Cornell and Carl Weiman cooled a sample of rubidium to within a few degrees of absolute zero. At this extremely low temperature, molecular motion comes very close to stopping altogether. Light appears to slow down as it passes through a BEC, allowing study of the particle/wave paradox. A BEC also has many of the properties of a superfluid – flowing without friction. BECs are also used to simulate conditions that might apply in black holes.