The nature of the bistability in the plasma display panel

The Plasma Display Panel displays and stores digital information on an array of bistable gas discharge cells. Cells in one state emit light during each of a sequence of pulse discharges while cells in the second state emit no light. It has, therefore, been appropriate to designate these states as "on" and off." Similarly, it has been appropriate to designate the processes of changing these states as "writing" and "erasing."