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.
A team of researchers from the University of Ottawa has made significant strides in understanding the ionization of atoms and molecules, a fundamental process in physics that has implications for various fields including ...
Optics & Photonics
Mar 14, 2025
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Like engineers who design high-performance Formula One race cars, scientists want to create high-performance plasmas in twisty fusion systems known as stellarators. Achieving this performance means that the plasma must retain ...
Plasma Physics
Mar 12, 2025
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Using data collected by NASA's Juno spacecraft as it flew past Jupiter's highly volcanic moon Io in late 2023 and again in early 2024, a Southwest Research Institute-led team identified electrons with energies enhanced by ...
Planetary Sciences
Mar 11, 2025
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59
1,337 seconds: that was how long WEST, a tokamak run from the CEA Cadarache site in southern France and one of the EUROfusion consortium medium size Tokamak facilities, was able to maintain a plasma for on 12 February. This ...
Plasma Physics
Feb 19, 2025
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529
A Hall thruster is a high-efficiency propulsion device using plasma that is used for various difficult space missions, such as SpaceX's constellation satellites, Starlink and NASA's asteroid probe, Psyche, and is one of the ...
Space Exploration
Feb 3, 2025
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99
A study published in The Astrophysical Journal Letters, introduces a newly defined "filament channel" function. This new function provides a novel theoretical foundation for predicting solar eruptions by determining whether ...
Astronomy
Jan 7, 2025
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25
Results from a 2021 experiment led by a University of Alaska Fairbanks scientist have begun to reveal the particle-level processes that create the type of auroras that dance rapidly across the sky.
Plasma Physics
Dec 20, 2024
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60
Fusion energy research is being pursued around the world as a means of solving energy problems. Magnetic confinement fusion reactors aim to extract fusion energy by confining extremely hot plasma in strong magnetic fields.
Plasma Physics
Dec 12, 2024
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42
Propulsion technologies are the key to exploring the outer solar system, and many organizations have been working on novel ones. One with a long track record is the Ad Astra Rocket Company, which has been developing its Variable ...
Space Exploration
Dec 11, 2024
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83
A different mix of fuels with enhanced properties could overcome some of the major barriers to making fusion a more practical energy source, according to a new study.
Plasma Physics
Nov 19, 2024
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