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.
Investigating solar corona structures has led Paul Bellan, Caltech professor of applied physics, and his former graduate student Yang Zhang (Ph.D. '24) to discover a new equilibrium state of the magnetic field and its associated ...
General Physics
Aug 25, 2025
5
712
In a scientific first, South Korean scientists have provided experimental proof of "multi-scale coupling" in plasma, where interactions between phenomena at the microscopic level and macroscopic level influence each other. ...
Physicists have used a machine-learning method to identify surprising new twists on the non-reciprocal forces governing a many-body system.
General Physics
Aug 1, 2025
2
299
Light sometimes appears to be "dragged" by the motion of the medium through which it is traveling. This phenomenon, referred to as "light dragging," is typically imperceptible when light is traveling in most widely available ...
Instead of a tempest in a teapot, imagine the cosmos in a canister. Scientists have performed experiments using nested, spinning cylinders to confirm that an uneven wobble in a ring of electrically conductive fluid like liquid ...
Planetary Sciences
Jul 7, 2025
0
75
Turbulence in nature refers to the complex, time-dependent, and spatially varying fluctuations that develop in fluids such as water, air, and plasma. It is a universal phenomenon that appears across a vast range of scales ...
Plasma Physics
Jun 2, 2025
0
76
The bundle of magnets at the heart of the U.S. Department of Energy's Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory's (PPPL) National Spherical Torus Experiment-Upgrade (NSTX-U) is the star of the show.
General Physics
May 31, 2025
0
109
Plasma—the electrically charged fourth state of matter—is at the heart of many important industrial processes, including those used to make computer chips and coat materials.
Plasma Physics
May 21, 2025
0
69
A new study published in Nature Communications shows, for the first time, how heat moves—or rather, doesn't—between materials in a high-energy-density plasma state.
Plasma Physics
May 2, 2025
1
90
With the most powerful radio telescope in the southern hemisphere, we have observed a twinkling star and discovered an abundance of mysterious plasma structures in our cosmic neighborhood.
Astronomy
Apr 21, 2025
0
63
