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Heating for fusion: Why toast plasma when you can microwave it

Some believe the future of fusion in the U.S. lies in compact, spherical fusion vessels. A smaller tokamak, it is thought, could offer a more economical fusion option. The trick is squeezing everything into a small space. ...

3D visualization brings nuclear fusion to life

When it comes to promising forms of energy, nuclear fusion checks all the boxes: it's clean, abundant, continuous and safe. It's produced when the lightweight nuclei of two atoms fuse together to form a heavier nucleus, releasing ...

New AI program helps identify elusive space plasmoids

In an ongoing game of cosmic hide and seek, scientists have a new tool that may give them an edge. Physicists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) have developed a computer program ...

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Plasma Physics
Researchers find potential new method to control plasma density in fusion reactors
Plasma Physics
Study reveals material erosion and deposition in fusion reactors
Plasma Physics
Investigating plasma deviations inside nuclear fusion reactors
Plasma Physics
25 years of massive fusion energy experiment data open on the 'cloud' and available to everyone
Plasma Physics
Pair plasmas found in deep space can now be generated in the lab
Plasma Physics
New plasma escape mechanism could protect fusion vessels from excessive heat
Plasma Physics
How does light interact with matter at extreme intensities, near the Schwinger limit?
Plasma Physics
The discovery of new turbulence transition in fusion plasmas
Plasma Physics
Apple versus donut: How the shape of a tokamak impacts the limits of the edge of the plasma
Optics & Photonics
Researchers create the world's strongest ionizing terahertz radiation
Plasma Physics
Researchers create new type of composite material for shielding against neutron and gamma radiation
Plasma Physics
Researchers unveil tritium release behavior of solid breeder irradiated with fusion neutron
Optics & Photonics
New discoveries about the nature of light could improve methods for heating fusion plasma
Plasma Physics
Using AI to speed up and improve the most computationally-intensive aspects of plasma physics in fusion
Optics & Photonics
Researchers elucidate ultrafast laser-induced solid-to-overdense-plasma transitions
Optics & Photonics
Smaller laser facility uses new method to exceed previous record for proton acceleration
Plasma Physics
Fusion record set for tungsten tokamak WEST
Plasma Physics
New instrument could help scientists tailor plasma to produce more fusion heat
Plasma Physics
Physicists overcome two key operating hurdles in fusion reactions
Plasma Physics
Record electron temperatures for a small-scale, sheared-flow-stabilized Z-pinch fusion device achieved

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Astronomy
Data from space probes show that Alfvén waves drive the acceleration and heating of the solar wind
Plants & Animals
How fruit flies use internal representations of head direction to support goal-directed navigation
Other
Saturday Citations: Corn sweat! Nanoplastics! Plus: Massive objects in your area are dragging spacetime
Ecology
Study finds RNA molecule controls butterfly wing coloration
General Physics
Using a gamma ray burst to search for violations of Einstein's relativity postulates
Earth Sciences
Doughnut-shaped region found inside Earth's core deepens understanding of planet's magnetic field
Astronomy
Solar Orbiter shows how solar wind gets a magnetic push
Plants & Animals
Groups of weaver birds found to have their own distinct nest-building styles
Archaeology
What a submerged ancient bridge discovered in a Spanish cave reveals about early human settlement
Astronomy
Astronomers spot merging galaxies from 12.8 billion years ago
Earth Sciences
Geophysicist's method could give months' warning of major earthquakes
Ecology
Biodiversity loss: Many students of environment-related subjects are partly unaware of the causes
Biochemistry
Study combines data and molecular simulations to accelerate drug discovery
Bio & Medicine
How stressed are you? Nanoparticles pave the way for home stress testing
Evolution
Fungus gnat entombed in a 40-million-year-old piece of amber is a rare gem
Molecular & Computational biology
Researchers identify genes for low glycemic index and high protein in rice
Environment
New study highlights expansion of drylands amidst impact of climate change
Plants & Animals
New discoveries about how mosquitoes mate may help the fight against malaria
Quantum Physics
Higher-order topological simulation unlocks new potential in quantum computers
Analytical Chemistry
Novel chemical tool aims to streamline drug-making process

New design improves water decontamination via plasma jet

Plasma is an ionized gas—that is, a gas containing electrons, ions, atoms, molecules, radicals, and photons. It is often called the fourth state of matter, and surprisingly, it permeates everything. Plasmas, which are artificially ...

Researchers visualize energetic ion flow in fusion devices

In a burning plasma, maintaining confinement of fusion-produced energetic ions is essential to producing energy. These fusion plasmas host a wide array of electromagnetic waves that can push energetic ions out of the plasma.

Process for the optical analysis of trace gases optimized

Laser-based absorption spectroscopy is an important method for determining the concentration of gas components in a sample. Modern devices are highly specialized for detecting very specific gases, such as trace gases in the ...

Physicist explains X-rays that shouldn't exist in 'cold' plasma

For about 20 years, Caltech Professor of Applied Physics Paul Bellan and his group have been creating magnetically accelerated jets of plasma, an electrically conducting gas composed of ions and electrons, in a vacuum chamber ...