High-Speed Moving Fusion Plasma Turbulence Discovered for the First Time in the World
New insights into understanding turbulence in fusion plasmas. In order to achieve fusion in a power plant, it is necessary to stably confine a plasma…
Plasma Physics
A Fundamental New Law Unchains Fusion Energy
Physicists at EPFL, within a large European collaboration, have revised one of the fundamental laws that has been foundational to plasma and fusion research for…
Rapid Magnetic Explosions in Space: Explaining Mystery Behind Fast Magnetic Reconnection
Researchers identify the physics that enables rapid magnetic explosions in space. When magnetic field lines of opposite directions merge, they create explosions that can release…
Validating Models for Next-Generation Fusion Power Plants
According to recent simulations and analysis, the flagship fusion facility of the United States Department of Energy’s (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) might serve…
Princeton Physicists Unravel a Puzzle To Speed Fusion Energy Development
Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory have created an efficient computer algorithm to model the crazy-quilt movement of free electrons…
Previously Unexplained Light and Heat Emissions May Be Caused by Whirling Masses of Plasma Near Black Holes
Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) have uncovered a process in the swirling masses of plasma surrounding black…
Stunning Plasma Experiment: Modeling Earth’s Magnetosphere in the Laboratory
Experimental platform combines Large Plasma Device with lasers, magnetic dipoles; reveals insights about Earth’s shield against solar wind. A magnetosphere forms around any magnetized object,…
Scientists Use 196 Lasers To Recreate the Conditions Inside Gigantic Galaxy Clusters – “One of the Most Awe-Inspiring Things in the Universe”
Experiments point the way to solving mystery that keeps clusters hot. Galaxies rarely live alone. Instead, dozens to thousands are drawn together by gravity, forming…
Thermonuclear Fusion in a Sheared-Flow Z-Pinch: Advancing Another Viable Pathway to Fusion Energy
In findings that could help advance another “viable pathway” to fusion energy, research led by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) physicists has proven the existence…
Understanding Hot-Spot Conditions in National Ignition Facility Implosion Experiments
Research conducted at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) describes a validation exercise for simple models used to understand hot-spot conditions reached in an implosion, which…
How Scientists Achieved Burning Plasma State – After Decades of Fusion Research
Nature paper chronicles how researchers achieved burning plasma regime for the first time in a laboratory experiment. After decades of fusion research, a burning plasma…
Swiss Plasma Center and DeepMind Use AI To Control Plasmas for Nuclear Fusion
Scientists at EPFL’s Swiss Plasma Center and DeepMind have jointly developed a new method for controlling plasma configurations for use in nuclear fusion research. EPFL’s…
Fusion Breakthrough Once Thought Impossible Brings Energy Device Closer to Realization
Scientists have achieved a remarkable breakthrough in the conceptual design of twisty stellarators, experimental magnetic facilities that could reproduce on Earth the fusion energy that…
Graphene and an Intense Laser Open the Door to Extreme Energetic Ion Acceleration
First experimental realization of energetic ions driven by intense laser irradiating the world’s thinnest and strongest target. Laser-driven ion acceleration has been studied to develop…
JET Fusion Facility – At Temperatures 10x Higher Than the Center of the Sun – Sets a New World Energy Record
European joint experiment prepares transition to large-scale ITER project. Following the example of the sun, fusion power plants aim to fuse the hydrogen isotopes deuterium…
Origin of Supermassive Black Hole Flares Identified: Magnetic “Reconnection” Near the Event Horizon
Largest-ever simulations suggest flickering powered by magnetic ‘reconnection.’ Researchers at the Flatiron Institute and their collaborators found that breaking and reconnecting magnetic field lines near…
Using Artificial Intelligence To See the Plasma Edge of Fusion Experiments in New Ways
MIT researchers are testing a simplified turbulence theory’s ability to model complex plasma phenomena using a novel machine-learning technique. To make fusion energy a viable…
Science Made Simple: What Are High Energy Density Laboratory Plasmas?
High energy density (HED) laboratory plasmas are perhaps the most extreme states of matter ever produced on Earth. Normal plasmas are one of the four…
