Plasma physics is the research area devoted to the theoretical, computational, and experimental study of ionized gases in which collective electromagnetic interactions dominate particle dynamics. It encompasses fundamental processes such as Debye shielding, plasma oscillations, waves and instabilities, magnetohydrodynamics, kinetic phenomena described by the Vlasov and Boltzmann equations, and nonlinear structures like solitons and turbulence. The field underpins research in controlled thermonuclear fusion (e.g., tokamaks, stellarators, inertial confinement), space and astrophysical plasmas (solar wind, magnetospheres, accretion disks), and high-energy-density physics, and it relies heavily on advanced diagnostics, numerical simulations, and multi-scale modeling of charged-particle behavior.
The early universe is absolutely so far outside our understanding of how the world works it's hard to describe in words. Back then, the cosmos wasn't filled with stars and galaxies but with a boiling soup of quarks and gluons, ...
Astronomy
Apr 5, 2026
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A Southwest Research Institute-led study found that protons and heavy ions react differently to solar magnetic reconnection events, revealing a more complex magnetic engine powering the solar wind. Magnetic reconnection converts ...
Astronomy
Mar 31, 2026
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The sun, our nearest star, never stops breathing. Every second of every day, it exhales a vast stream of charged particles that sweeps outward through the solar system at hundreds of kilometers per second. We call it the ...
Astronomy
Mar 30, 2026
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Pulsars are ultra-dense, rapidly spinning, and highly magnetized remnants of dead stars. They act like cosmic lighthouses, sending out regular pulses of radio waves and sometimes gamma rays in beams that sweep across the ...
Astronomy
Mar 25, 2026
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The European Space Agency's (ESA's) Jupiter Icy Moons Explorer (JUICE) probe is on its (very long) way to Jupiter, and will finally arrive at the King of Planets in 2031. Its primary mission is to focus on the "big three" ...
Planetary Sciences
Mar 19, 2026
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An international team of scientists, led by a Ph.D. researcher from Northumbria University, has made further discoveries about a spectacular feature of Jupiter's northern lights, revealing a never-before-seen temperature ...
Astronomy
Mar 4, 2026
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To operate fusion systems safely and reliably, scientists need to monitor plasma fuel conditions and measure properties like temperature and density that can affect fusion reactions. Making these measurements requires specialized ...
Plasma Physics
Mar 2, 2026
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For the past two decades, scientists have wondered about a bright, distinct striped pattern seen in radio waves emanating from the Crab Pulsar, the remnant of a supernova observed by Chinese and Japanese astronomers in the ...
Astronomy
Mar 2, 2026
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Every winter, thousands of tourists travel to high-latitude regions like Scandinavia, Canada, and Alaska hoping to see the Aurora Borealis or Northern Lights. Vincent Ledvina, an aurora guide and Ph.D. student in space physics ...
Astronomy
Feb 24, 2026
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New observations of Ganymede reveal a striking similarity between the auroras on the largest moon in the solar system and those on Earth. The international team of astrophysicists, led by researchers from the University of ...
Planetary Sciences
Feb 23, 2026
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