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Plasma Physics news
Laser-plasma accelerator drives free-electron laser for record 8 hours
For the first time, researchers have demonstrated that a laser-plasma accelerator can reliably drive a free-electron laser for more than eight hours. Published in Physical Review Accelerators and Beams, the result was achieved ...
Machine learning accelerates analysis of fusion materials
Tungsten's superior performance in extreme environments makes it a leading candidate for plasma-facing components (PFCs) in fusion reactors, but the ultra-high heat can damage its microscopic structure and lead to component ...
Plasma Physics
Apr 15, 2026
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Copper blasted into a million-degree plasma strips away 22 electrons in a flash before atoms recover
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
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Building desktop particle accelerators to unlock new realms of research
Using high-intensity lasers, researchers have taken an important step toward miniaturization of particle accelerators by demonstrating free-electron laser amplification at extreme ultraviolet wavelengths (27–50 nm), with ...
Optics & Photonics
Apr 1, 2026
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ALICE sees new sign of primordial plasma in proton collisions
The ALICE Collaboration takes a step further in addressing the question of whether a quark–gluon plasma can be formed in proton–proton and proton–nucleus collisions. In the first few microseconds after the Big Bang, the universe ...
General Physics
Mar 20, 2026
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Making mini-lightning in a block of plastic
Lightning formation and the conditions triggering it have long been shrouded in a cloud of mystery, but new research led by Penn State scientists is lifting the fog. Using mathematical calculations, the researchers have discovered ...
Condensed Matter
Mar 5, 2026
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National report supports measurement innovation to aid commercial fusion energy and enable new plasma technologies
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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Laser-within-a-laser delivers MeV X-ray radiography in picoseconds
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
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Plasma rotation simulations could help fusion reactors survive decades of use
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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X-ray platform images plasma instability for fusion energy and astrophysics
Harnessing the power of the sun holds the promise of providing future societies with energy abundance. To make this a reality, fusion researchers need to address many technological challenges. For example, fusion reactions ...
General Physics
Feb 13, 2026
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Could electronic beams in the ionosphere remove space junk?
A possible alternative to active debris removal (ADR) by laser is ablative propulsion by a remotely transmitted electron beam (e-beam). The e-beam ablation has been widely used in industries, and it might provide higher overall ...
Plasma Physics
Feb 9, 2026
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Extreme plasma acceleration in monster shocks offers new explanation for fast radio bursts
In a new study published in Physical Review Letters, scientists have performed the first global simulations of monster shocks—some of the strongest shocks in the universe—revealing how these extreme events in magnetar magnetospheres ...
When lasers cross: A brighter way to measure plasma
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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Machine learning accelerates plasma mirror design for high-power lasers
Plasma mirrors capable of withstanding the intensity of powerful lasers are being designed through an emerging machine learning framework. Researchers in Physics and Computer Science at the University of Strathclyde have ...
Optics & Photonics
Feb 2, 2026
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The infant universe's 'primordial soup' was actually soupy, study finds
In its first moments, the infant universe was a trillion-degree-hot soup of quarks and gluons. These elementary particles zinged around at light speed, creating a "quark-gluon plasma" that lasted for only a few millionths ...
General Physics
Jan 28, 2026
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'Spectral slimming' yields ultranarrow plasmons in single metal nanoparticles
Researchers have developed a new strategy to overcome a long-standing limitation in plasmonic loss by reshaping light–matter interactions through substrate engineering.
Optics & Photonics
Jan 27, 2026
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New code connects microscopic insights to the macroscopic world
In inertial confinement fusion, a capsule of fuel begins at temperatures near zero and pressures close to vacuum. When lasers compress that fuel to trigger fusion, the material heats up to millions of degrees and reaches ...
General Physics
Jan 22, 2026
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EAST achieves new plasma confinement regime using small 3D magnetic perturbations
A research group has achieved a new plasma confinement regime using small 3D magnetic perturbations that simultaneously suppress edge instabilities and enhance core plasma confinement in the Experimental Advanced Superconducting ...
Plasma Physics
Jan 21, 2026
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Velocity gradients prove key to explaining large-scale magnetic field structure
All celestial bodies—planets, suns, even entire galaxies—produce magnetic fields, affecting such cosmic processes as the solar wind, high-energy particle transport, and galaxy formation. Small-scale magnetic fields are generally ...
General Physics
Jan 21, 2026
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Laser pulse 'sculpting' unlocks new control over particle acceleration
In high-intensity laser–matter interactions, including laser-induced particle acceleration, physicists generally want to work with the highest possible focused laser peak power, which is the ratio of energy per unit area ...
Optics & Photonics
Jan 9, 2026
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More news
A new way to view shockwaves could boost fusion research
Going further with fusion, together
Tabletop particle accelerator could transform medicine and materials science
Magnetized plasmas offer a new handle on nanomaterial design
New AI enhances the view inside fusion energy systems
Other news
Iron plus UV light turns alcohol into hydrogen with catalyst-like efficiency
Catching a scramblase in the act could pave the way to improved blood disorder and cancer treatments
Titan's lakes may spawn 10-foot waves in gentle winds, new model suggests
Navigating the past with ancient stone compass needles
Can we trust the science shaping our lives?
Novel technique drills more detail into ice core records
Confirming altermagnetism in an abundant mineral
Sex pheromone of a sandgrain-sized insect deciphered
Uranus's two outer rings show starkly different origins
Temperature shifts change plant proteins that power photosynthesis
