Such corrections typically become important when a significant number of electrons reach speeds greater than 0.86c (Lorentz factor
Such plasmas may be created either by heating a gas to very high temperatures or by the impact of a high-energy particle beam.
A relativistic plasma with a thermal distribution function has temperatures greater than around 260 keV, or 3.0 GK (5.5 billion degrees Fahrenheit), where approximately 10% of the electrons have
Plasmas hot enough for particles other than electrons to be relativistic are even more rare, since other particles are more massive and thus require more energy to accelerate to a significant fraction of the speed of light.
The primary changes in a plasma's behavior as it approaches the relativistic regime is slight modifications to the equations which describe a non-relativistic plasma and to collision and interaction cross sections.