Matter/Antimatter Black Hole Jets Recreated in CERN’s Laboratory
The Fireball collaboration used CERN’s HiRadMat facility to produce an analog of the jets of matter and antimatter that stream out of some black holes…
Plasma Physics News
Plasma physics is a branch of physics that studies plasma, the fourth state of matter. Plasma is a highly ionized gas consisting of ions, electrons, and neutral atoms, which exhibits collective behavior due to long-range electromagnetic forces. This state of matter is found naturally in stars, including the sun, and is essential for processes like fusion and solar phenomena such as solar flares. Plasma physics is crucial for understanding various natural and technological processes. For example, it is fundamental in the development of controlled nuclear fusion, which aims to replicate the sun’s energy production as a sustainable and clean energy source on Earth. Additionally, plasma physics is applied in industries for the development of plasma TVs, neon signs, and semiconductor manufacturing. The field involves both theoretical and experimental studies to explore plasma behavior, dynamics, and its interaction with its environment, playing a pivotal role in advancing new technologies and understanding the universe.
Mini-Universe in a Lab: Creating “Cosmic Fireballs” on Earth
An international team of scientists has developed a novel way to experimentally produce plasma ‘fireballs’ on Earth. Researchers have successfully generated relativistic electron-positron plasmas in…
Photon Polarization: The Next Breakthrough in Fusion Technology?
New studies show photon polarization is constant in varying environments, potentially improving plasma heating methods for fusion energy advancement. Light, both literally and figuratively, pervades…
Compact Laser Plasma Accelerator Breaks Proton Energy Record
Scientists Achieve New Energy Record for Next-Generation Proton Accelerators The Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) has made a significant advance in laser plasma acceleration. By employing an…
Fusion Breakthrough: Compact New Device Reaches Temperatures of 37 Million Degrees
A new study documents record-breaking electron temperatures in a compact, sheared-flow-stabilized Z-pinch fusion device. In the nine decades since humans first produced fusion reactions, only…
NASA Uncovers the Hidden Forces Behind the Sun’s Mysterious Moss
NASA research has uncovered how electrical currents and tangled magnetic fields heat the Sun’s mossy regions from 10,000 to 1 million degrees Fahrenheit, aiding in…
Scientists Demonstrate Effective Fusion “Spark Plug” in Groundbreaking Experiments
Methods pioneered using the Laboratory for Laser Energetics’ OMEGA laser system show potential for sparking fusion on a larger scale. Researchers at the University of…
69 Megajoules: JET Sets Fusion Energy World Record
The Joint European Torus (JET), one of the world’s largest and most powerful fusion machines, has proven its capability to consistently produce fusion energy and…
Plasma’s Hidden Rhythms: The Ballet of Ions and Waves in Fusion Reactors
Fast ions and plasma waves in fusion reactors engage in a complex dance of energy transfer, with resonance and collision impacts playing significant roles. This…
The Future of Fusion: Unlocking Complex Physics With AI’s Precision
Neural networks guided by physics are creating new ways to observe the complexities of plasmas. Fusion experiments take place under extreme conditions, with extremely high-temperature…
Fusion Research Advances: New Views on Energetic Ion Flow
New observations at the DIII-D National Fusion Facility offer vital insights into energetic ions in fusion plasmas, key for fusion power development and space plasma…
Fusion’s New Magnetic Era: Unveiling the Secrets of Tokamak Efficiency
Perturbing the edge magnetic field of a tokamak produces a counterintuitive response: particles entering the confined region rather than escaping it. A tokamak uses magnetic…
Fusing Academia and Industry: The Key to Unlocking Fusion Energy’s Potential
Fusion’s success as a renewable energy depends on the creation of an industry to support it, and academia is vital to that industry’s development. A…
E=mc² Comes Alive: Simulating Matter Creation From Laser Light
A team led by researchers at Osaka University and UC, San Diego has used simulations to demonstrate how one can experimentally produce matter solely from…
Redefining Physics: Plasma Jets With Unexpected X-Ray Emissions
Caltech’s plasma jet experiments led by Paul Bellan reveal novel electron behaviors, contributing to understanding solar flares and fusion energy. For around 20 years, Caltech…
Taming the Sun’s Inferno: Controlling Fusion Plasma Heat at 100 Million Degrees
An international team of researchers has discovered a method to predict and control the rotational temperatures of hydrogen molecules in fusion reactors. Humans may never…
Vlasiator Unveils: Solutions to a Central Mystery in Space Physics
Vlasiator, a supercomputer model for simulating near-Earth space, has revealed that plasma eruptions in near-Earth space are influenced by both magnetic reconnection and kinetic instabilities….
Discovering the Low-Energy “Break Point” for Exotic Quark-Gluon Plasma Creation
Through gold nuclei collisions at varying energies, physicists have found that the creation of quark-gluon plasma—an exotic state of matter—halts at the lowest collision energy…