Plasma production and heating is a research area focused on generating ionized gases and raising their temperature and energy content to conditions required for fundamental studies and applications such as magnetic and inertial confinement fusion, space propulsion, and high-energy-density physics. It encompasses methods of plasma formation (e.g., gas breakdown, beam- or laser-induced ionization, RF discharges) and a range of heating schemes including ohmic (resistive) heating, radio-frequency and microwave heating, neutral beam injection, and wave–particle interaction techniques. Research addresses efficiency, control of energy deposition, stability, impurity management, and optimization of plasma parameters for confinement and performance.
When laser flashes hit matter, electrons are knocked off their orbits around the atomic nuclei. This can generate extremely hot plasmas composed of charged particles—ions and electrons. Researchers at HZDR have now observed ...
Optics & Photonics
Apr 14, 2026
1
1407
Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's National Ignition Facility (NIF) is the hottest place on Earth for the briefest of moments during an experiment. Now, it can be one of the brightest places thanks to the Advanced Radiographic ...
Optics & Photonics
Mar 2, 2026
0
37
At Rice University, a research lab's signature keepsake has helped perfect a method for growing patterned diamond surfaces that could help decrease operating temperatures in electronics by 23 degrees Celsius. The paper is ...
Condensed Matter
Feb 23, 2026
0
30
Picture a spacecraft returning to Earth after a long journey. The vehicle slams into the planet's atmosphere at roughly 17,000 miles per hour. A shockwave erupts. Molecules in the air are ripped apart, forming a plasma—a ...
Space Exploration
Feb 3, 2026
0
71
Using data collected by NASA's Parker Solar Probe during its closest approach to the sun, a University of Arizona-led research team has measured the dynamics and ever-changing "shell" of hot gas from where the solar wind ...
Space Exploration
Jan 30, 2026
0
61
Researchers working on China's fully superconducting Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST) have experimentally accessed a theorized "density-free regime" for fusion plasmas, achieving stable operation at densities ...
Plasma Physics
Jan 1, 2026
0
838
Producing fusion energy requires heating plasma to more than one hundred million degrees and confining it stably with strong magnetic fields. However, plasma naturally develops fluctuations known as turbulence, and they carry ...
Plasma Physics
Dec 10, 2025
0
29
Skoltech researchers have created a promising catalyst to speed up a chemical reaction producing clean hydrogen fuel from the urea contained in wastewater. While that process is known to be catalyzed by various forms of nickel, ...
Nanophysics
Oct 20, 2025
0
43
Haozhe "Harry" Wang, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering (ECE) at Duke University and an expert in developing new methods for manufacturing materials, continues to push the boundaries in MXene research.
Nanomaterials
Jul 9, 2025
0
33
New research utilizing data from NASA's Parker Solar Probe has provided the first direct evidence of a phenomenon known as the "helicity barrier" in the solar wind. This discovery, published in Physical Review X by Queen ...
Plasma Physics
Jul 8, 2025
0
77
