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 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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Researchers at the University of Hawaiʻi have uncovered new clues about how energy moves through the sun's outer atmosphere, using one of nature's rarest events as their window: total solar eclipses. Drawing on more than ...
Astronomy
Feb 18, 2026
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Scientists have long seen a puzzling pattern in tokamaks, the doughnut-shaped machines that could one day reliably generate electricity from fusing atoms. When plasma particles escape the core of the magnetic fields that ...
Plasma Physics
Feb 17, 2026
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Researchers at Kyoto University have proposed a new physical model that explores how disturbances in the ionosphere may exert electrostatic forces within Earth's crust and potentially contribute to the initiation of large ...
Earth Sciences
Feb 6, 2026
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Measuring conditions in volatile clouds of superheated gases known as plasmas is central to pursuing greater scientific understanding of how stars, nuclear detonations and fusion energy work. For decades, scientists have ...
Plasma Physics
Feb 5, 2026
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