https://phys.org/physics-news/plasma/ en-us The latest news on physics of plasma 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 a rotating, spring-shaped laser pulse, opening new possibilities for fusion energy, particle acceleration, astrophysics and beyond. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-kind-laser-avenues-plasma.html Optics & Photonics Mon, 29 Jun 2026 19:00:07 EDT news701962082 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 internal heat flow, structure and magnetic field. Understanding these processes and how these materials behave under extreme conditions is essential to building accurate models of planetary evolution. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-laser-helium-pressures.html General Physics Wed, 24 Jun 2026 19:50:01 EDT news701539261 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 behavior of electrons in warm dense matter are inaccurate. Warm dense matter is challenging to study, but also is of key importance for a plethora of research, including the investigation of planetary interiors, materials science and laser fusion experiments. The study is published in Physical Review Letters. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-upends-beliefs-electrons-dense.html Plasma Physics Mon, 22 Jun 2026 18:20:06 EDT news701359922 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 of clean energy. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-nuclear-fusion-lightning.html Plasma Physics Mon, 22 Jun 2026 15:40:06 EDT news701354339 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 processes, as well as advance critical areas such as materials science and energy research. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-diamond-based-particle-detector-captures.html General Physics Thu, 18 Jun 2026 19:00:02 EDT news701015641 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 top or bottom of a 2-centimeter (0.8-inch) gold canister known as a hohlraum. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-circular-polarization-laser-backscatter-fusion.html Optics & Photonics Thu, 18 Jun 2026 17:50:01 EDT news701019421 In the next few decades, many physicists are hopeful that nuclear fusion could become a realistic source of practically limitless energy. But before this can happen, it will be critical to ensure that reactors cannot be covertly misused to produce materials for nuclear weapons. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-fusion-reactors-covert-plutonium-production.html General Physics Sat, 13 Jun 2026 13:00:03 EDT news700233543 Researchers at Kanazawa University, in collaboration with Diamond and Carbon Applications (Germany), have developed a buried-growth process for nitrogen–vacancy (NV) centers in diamond using microwave plasma chemical vapor deposition (MPCVD). By employing nitrogen-radical selective etching, which simultaneously enhances metal-mask durability through nitridation, the team enabled a continuous etching–growth sequence within a single MPCVD process. https://phys.org/news/2026-06-growth-enables-2d-arrays-position.html Plasma Physics Tue, 09 Jun 2026 14:40:09 EDT news700228921 Standardizing calculations of the helium byproducts generated in advanced fission and fusion energy system materials can increase reactor safety and longevity, according to a study led by University of Michigan Engineering with collaborators at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and its management contractor UT-Battelle. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-helium-fission-fusion-materials.html General Physics Wed, 20 May 2026 17:40:05 EDT news698508541 When physicists fire beams of fast electrons at materials, they often need to know exactly how much energy those electrons will lose as they travel through. Through new research published in Physical Review Letters, a team led by Ke Jiang at Shenzhen Technology University in China has found that porous, mostly empty foam materials can stop high-current electron beams far more effectively than denser materials—overturning many previous assumptions about how these beams interact with solid materials. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-foam-overturns-assumptions-electron.html General Physics Wed, 13 May 2026 12:00:01 EDT news697886187 The mechanism that can cause a rapidly expanding plasma—the superhot state of matter harnessed in fusion energy systems—to spontaneously generate its own magnetic fields was identified through a new set of simulations. This improves our understanding of naturally occurring plasmas in our universe and advances the development of fusion systems based on an approach called direct-drive inertial fusion. https://phys.org/news/2026-05-lasers-rapidly-magnetize-fusion-plasmas.html General Physics Tue, 05 May 2026 11:20:07 EDT news697193762 Particle accelerators such as those at the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Geneva are typically highly complex large-scale devices. In these ring-shaped facilities, which are often several kilometers in length, magnets and radio-frequency cavities are used to accelerate elementary particles. An alternative approach is now emerging: compact laser–plasma accelerators that can be built and operated at a fraction of the cost. These accelerators can achieve acceleration gradients up to around 1,000 times higher than those of conventional accelerators. Researchers at HHU contributed significantly to this development. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-laser-plasma-polarization-helium-ions.html Plasma Physics Thu, 30 Apr 2026 14:20:02 EDT news696770265 For the first time, a research team has demonstrated, in a metal-wall environment, a plasma regime that simultaneously achieves partial divertor detachment, an edge-localized-mode (ELM)-free high-confinement mode (H-mode), and high pedestal performance. This integrated regime was sustained on a minute scale and the work is published in Physical Review Letters. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-tokamak-regime-sustains-stable-fusion.html Plasma Physics Wed, 29 Apr 2026 19:10:08 EDT news696701401 Researchers at Skoltech have developed an ultra-compact electro-optic modulator based on silicon photonics and plasmonics that enables high-efficiency optical signal control within a small device footprint. The development could find applications in optical communication systems, analog-to-digital conversion, as well as in devices for generating and processing ultra-high-frequency signals based on photonic technologies. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-team-modulator-compact-photonic-circuits.html Optics & Photonics Tue, 28 Apr 2026 19:20:03 EDT news696611379 Scientists at Ames National Laboratory developed a new artificial intelligence (AI) tool that accelerates discovery of materials needed for next-generation fusion energy systems. The tool, DuctGPT, combines advanced AI with physics-based modeling to help researchers predict materials with the appropriate properties to function in the extreme conditions inside of fusion reactors. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-ductgpt-ai-discovery-generation-fusion.html Plasma Physics Mon, 27 Apr 2026 07:00:03 EDT news696490741 An international team of physicists has achieved a significant advance in laser science, demonstrating for the first time a practical route to dramatically boosting the intensity of high-power laser light. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-laser-plasma-mirror-path-extreme.html Optics & Photonics Wed, 22 Apr 2026 11:00:14 EDT news695979301 Plasma, the fourth state of matter, consists of a gas in which electrons are no longer bound to atoms, which allows electricity to flow freely. When beams of particles moving close to the speed of light travel through plasma, they disturb electrons and drive so-called plasma waves. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-route-plasma-based-particle.html Optics & Photonics Wed, 22 Apr 2026 10:40:05 EDT news696071586 Picture two materials sandwiched together. The boundary between them may appear flat, but, in reality, it is full of tiny bumps and dents. Suddenly, the materials are hit with a shockwave. If that wave hits a bump in the material interface, it slows down. If it hits a dent, it accelerates forward. This imbalance creates fast, narrow jets of material—called the Richtmyer-Meshkov (RM) instability. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-tiny-voids-fusion-stable-powerful.html General Physics Sun, 19 Apr 2026 14:00:03 EDT news695572592 Scientists have directly observed muonic molecules in resonance states for the first time, using a high-resolution X-ray detector, a new Science Advances study reports. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-muonic-molecules-critical-muon-catalyzed.html Plasma Physics Fri, 17 Apr 2026 11:40:02 EDT news695643962 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 by a team led by Finn Kohrell at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, in collaboration with Texas-based company Tau Systems—and could soon make the technology vastly more accessible for a broad range of applications in industry and research. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-laser-plasma-free-electron-hours.html Optics & Photonics Thu, 16 Apr 2026 11:40:03 EDT news695554789 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 failure. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) can capture and quantify these microstructure changes, but assembling a sufficiently large dataset of SEM imagery is expensive and logistically challenging. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-machine-analysis-fusion-materials.html Plasma Physics Wed, 15 Apr 2026 17:20:07 EDT news695477642 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 this ionization process in more detail than ever before. To do so, they combined two state-of-the-art lasers: the X-ray free-electron laser and the high-intensity optical laser ReLaX at the HED-HiBEF experiment station at the European XFEL in Schenefeld, near Hamburg. Their findings, published in Nature Communications, deliver fundamental insights into the interaction of high-energy lasers and matter under extreme conditions. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-copper-blasted-million-degree-plasma.html Optics & Photonics Tue, 14 Apr 2026 12:40:04 EDT news695384221 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 an acceleration length of only a few millimeters. By generating high-quality, monoenergetic electron beams (i.e. beams where all the electrons have nearly the same energy), they have achieved a key milestone toward compact accelerator technologies. https://phys.org/news/2026-04-desktop-particle-realms.html Optics & Photonics Wed, 01 Apr 2026 09:40:01 EDT news694254901 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 was in an extremely hot and dense state of matter known as quark–gluon plasma (QGP), which can be reproduced with high-energy collisions between heavy ions such as lead nuclei. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-alice-primordial-plasma-proton-collisions.html General Physics Fri, 20 Mar 2026 11:20:03 EDT news693221582 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 that lightning-like discharge doesn't require a storm cloud—it could be made inside everyday material on a lab bench. The study is published in the journal Physical Review Letters. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-mini-lightning-block-plastic.html Condensed Matter Thu, 05 Mar 2026 18:10:06 EST news691951741 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 sensors known as diagnostics. https://phys.org/news/2026-03-national-aid-commercial-fusion-energy.html Plasma Physics Mon, 02 Mar 2026 22:40:02 EST news691686101 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 Capability (ARC), NIF's laser-within-a-laser. How this is possible and how it's measured is detailed in a paper in Physics of Plasmas titled "Development and scaling of MeV X-ray radiography at NIF-ARC." https://phys.org/news/2026-03-laser-mev-ray-radiography-picoseconds.html Optics & Photonics Mon, 02 Mar 2026 12:40:04 EST news691672387 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 hold the plasma in its doughnut shape, they stream down toward the exhaust system, known as the divertor. There, plasma particles strike metal plates, cool down and bounce back. (The returning atoms help fuel the fusion reaction.) But experiments consistently show that far more particles hit the inner divertor target than the outer one. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-plasma-rotation-simulations-fusion-reactors.html Plasma Physics Tue, 17 Feb 2026 11:05:41 EST news690548701 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 occur within a superheated state of matter, called plasma, which can form unstable structures that reduce the efficiency of those reactions. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-ray-platform-images-plasma-instability.html General Physics Fri, 13 Feb 2026 12:57:49 EST news690209822 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 energy efficiency of an ADR system and a higher momentum-coupling coefficient than laser ablation. However, transmitting an e-beam efficiently through the ionosphere plasma over a long distance (10 m–100 km) and focusing it to enhance its intensity above the ablation threshold of debris materials are new technical challenges that require novel methods of external actions to support the beam transmission. https://phys.org/news/2026-02-electronic-ionosphere-space-junk.html Plasma Physics Mon, 09 Feb 2026 20:10:04 EST news689852898