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Plasma Physics news
PACMAN AI framework for controlling fusion systems safely makes key decisions in milliseconds
Inside some fusion energy systems, particles hotter than the core of the sun can become unruly in a few thousandths of a second, far faster than any human operator can react. A new software framework developed by researchers ...
Plasma Physics
Sep 2, 2026
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How fusion reactions can survive flaws—up to a point
Researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) have found that implosions designed for inertial fusion energy (IFE) can tolerate significant imperfections before performance abruptly declines, a finding that ...
Plasma Physics
Aug 24, 2026
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Connecting the power of the stars to geometry
In the world of fusion energy, scientists and engineers study the fourth state of matter known as plasma in an effort to design and build a new type of power plant. Relying on the heat produced by two small atoms smashing ...
Plasma Physics
Aug 19, 2026
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Tungsten may suffer more radiation damage in fusion reactors than expected
Fusion reactors, devices that generate energy by fusing light atomic nuclei at extremely high temperatures, could contribute to ongoing efforts aimed at producing electricity more sustainably. The extreme environment inside ...
Copper's surprising melting behavior provides insights into future fusion design
Future fusion power plants aim to recreate the heart of a star here on Earth to power our future energy needs. While the core fusion plasma will burn at hundreds of millions of degrees, the surrounding structural components ...
Condensed Matter
Aug 13, 2026
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'Flying focus' laser overcomes key limitation in plasma-based particle accelerators
In a new Nature Physics study, researchers accelerated electrons to more than twice the energy predicted by the traditional dephasing limit for laser-plasma accelerators operating over the same distance. This was made possible ...
Tiny vortices discovered on the sun's surface
Researchers from the U.S. National Science Foundation National Solar Observatory (NSF NSO), the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (MPS) in Germany, and the High Altitude Observatory (HAO) in the U.S. have made ...
General Physics
Aug 5, 2026
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Pushing the boundaries of ultracold neutral plasmas
Using a combination of laser cooling techniques and strong magnetic fields, researchers at Colorado State University have for the first time created an ultracold neutral plasma with electrons cooled to temperatures measured ...
General Physics
Aug 4, 2026
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New approach to cleaning the inner walls of a fusion system removes another obstacle to near-endless energy
Fusion systems need inner walls that can withstand extreme heat. One promising solution uses liquid lithium to protect the walls, held like water in a sponge made of the exceptionally strong metal tungsten. An advanced manufacturing ...
Plasma Physics
Aug 4, 2026
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Materials surrounding a fusion reaction can dramatically increase how often it occurs
Fusion at high temperatures powers the sun and, if harnessed, could provide a potential source of energy here on Earth. But controlling fusion reactions has other benefits. The process also generates subatomic particles called ...
General Physics
Jul 23, 2026
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Plasma design rules show how to preserve attosecond flashes for observing electrons
Researchers at Skoltech, together with a colleague from the Shanghai Institute of Optics and Fine Mechanics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, working within the joint SIOM–Skoltech laboratory, have determined how to select ...
Optics & Photonics
Jul 22, 2026
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Plasma agriculture makes strides toward super-seeding conventional methods
Occasionally, the sun unleashes powerful flares and coronal mass ejections, which hurl plasma and energetic particles into space. On the infant Earth, this solar activity drove cascades of atmospheric chemical reactions that ...
Plasma Physics
Jul 15, 2026
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Reimagining the furnace: How a new magnetic design could supercharge industrial plasma
Imagine trying to trap a miniature star inside a machine without letting it touch the walls or burn itself out. This is the central, high-stakes challenge of high-temperature plasma engineering.
X-pinch plasma achieves radial proton acceleration for crisp imaging
Plasma pinches: From pursuits of nuclear fusion to an attractive point source of accelerated protons for proton radiography.
Optics & Photonics
Jul 8, 2026
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First-of-a-kind laser spring opens up new avenues for plasma control
When a high-intensity laser interacts with plasma, the charged particles typically oscillate back and forth like waves on the ocean. But what if the laser itself could twist like a whirlpool? Researchers have now demonstrated ...
Optics & Photonics
Jun 29, 2026
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Laser experiments push helium to record shock pressures
Deep inside gas giants like Jupiter and Saturn, hydrogen and helium coexist under pressures millions of times greater than Earth's atmosphere. Under those conditions, helium may separate from hydrogen and influence a planet's ...
General Physics
Jun 24, 2026
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Experiment upends beliefs on how electrons actually behave in warm dense matter
Researchers at European XFEL, Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR), Rostock University and other collaborating institutions have used high-precision experiments to demonstrate that the most widely used models for the ...
Plasma Physics
Jun 22, 2026
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Modeling nuclear fusion at lightning speed
As we scour and scorch the Earth for deeper wells of energy, investors and government agencies are pouring billions into nuclear fusion research. The hope is that fusion may ultimately provide a virtually limitless source ...
Plasma Physics
Jun 22, 2026
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Diamond-based particle detector captures one-picosecond electron bursts for high-rate beam diagnostics
Physicists at UC Santa Cruz and other institutes across California and New Mexico have developed a detection system that will allow next-generation particle accelerators to better reveal fundamental biological and chemical ...
General Physics
Jun 18, 2026
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Circular polarization could cut laser backscatter in fusion experiments
Experiments at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory's National Ignition Facility (NIF) require breathtaking precision. Each of the 192 lasers is focused to a width of a few millimeters to enter a 3-millimeter hole at the ...
Optics & Photonics
Jun 18, 2026
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More news
Understanding how lasers can rapidly magnetize fusion plasmas
Team develops modulator for compact photonic integrated circuits
A new route for plasma-based particle accelerators
Laser-plasma 'mirror' unlocks a new path to extreme light intensities
Laser-plasma accelerator drives free-electron laser for record 8 hours
Machine learning accelerates analysis of fusion materials
Building desktop particle accelerators to unlock new realms of research
ALICE sees new sign of primordial plasma in proton collisions
Making mini-lightning in a block of plastic
Laser-within-a-laser delivers MeV X-ray radiography in picoseconds
Other news
How bird movements are helping researchers track a global virus
New method predicts where massive earthquakes will strike
Could electronic beams in the ionosphere remove space junk?
When lasers cross: A brighter way to measure plasma
Machine learning accelerates plasma mirror design for high-power lasers
New code connects microscopic insights to the macroscopic world
A new type of LED light could bring significant efficiency gains
Periodical cicadas may be doomed to extinction
How Mercury formed its graphite crust and core
Virus-like particles enable gene activity tracking over time in the same cells
