plasma-physics

Nature Physics, Published online: 21 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41567-026-03410-4 The energy gain of laser wakefield accelerators is tied to the distance over which electrons are accelerated. Now this limitation can be overcome with flying-focus laser pulses, allowing electrons to surf the plasma wave over longer distances.

Previously, modelling heavy quarks drifting through hot plasma required choosing between descriptions suited to either tightly bound or freely moving particles. Now, coupled Boltzmann equations derived directly from universal Lindblad equations allow complete evolution from compact configurations to widely separated pairs within one framework. This advance incorporates a previously missing collis…

Fusion power startup Inertia Enterprises reduced the fuel filling process from a week to just a few hours. It's one of ten hurdles the company must overcome to make a profitable power plant.

Nature Communications, Published online: 20 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41467-026-76747-2 This study demonstrates a millimetre-wave baseband comb generated directly from an optical microcomb, enabling coherent sub-THz waveforms and source-level spectral control.

In the world of fusion energy, scientists and engineers study the fourth state of matter known as plasma in an effort to design and build a new type of power plant. Relying on the heat produced by two small atoms smashing together, a network of such facilities would help create a novel source of stable […]

Scientific Reports, Published online: 15 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41598-026-66869-4 Upcycling copper chips into Cu–Fe alloys via coating-assisted plasma sintering

Nature Communications, Published online: 15 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41467-026-76743-6 This study introduces a method using structured THz-OAM beam to detect clear air turbulence. It overcomes optical limits by resisting saturation and misalignment, enabling robust turbulence strength sensing, hazard localization, and water vapor monitoring.

Researchers at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory have measured how diamond melts under extreme pressures, resolving a long-standing discrepancy between experiment and theory. In inertial confinement fusion experiments, where a diamond capsule is used to hold fuel, this refined understanding of diamond’s phase change has the potential to triple energy gain, provided that other degradation mec…

dc.title: Computational modelling of nanosecond pulsed non-equilibrium hydrogen-argon plasma for iron-ore reduction dc.description.abstract: Nanosecond pulsed discharges in argon-hydrogen mixtures produce highly reactive, non-equilibrium plasma that is critical for advanced material processing. Low temperature plasma generated by nanosecond pulsing at atmospheric pressure, allow for selective ene…

Tiny plasma tornadoes could solve why the Sun's magnetic field flips faster than physics currently allows.

Yesterday, Oak Ridge National Laboratory announced that the Department of Energy has committed funding to develop a fusion breeding blanket test facility at the lab in partnership with Kyoto Fusioneering, and the company announced it will be relocating its U.S. headquarters to Oak Ridge, Tenn., with support from the state of Tennessee’s Nuclear Energy Supply Chain Investment Fund.

The sun frequently flings plasma into space, but sightings of such eruptions on other stars are rare. Magnetic fields could explain why.

Abstract As large-scale integration (LSI) devices have shrunk, plasma etching has encountered challenges such as microloading and critical dimension (CD) shift. To clarify the underlying mechanisms, we developed an etching-rate model based on precursor-mediated adsorption with surface diffusion. Applied to silicon (Si) etching, the model reproduced reactant-limited behavior at low pressure throug…