plasma-physics

Bob Mumgaard is an engineer and entrepreneur who co-founded Commonwealth Fusion Systems and serves as its chief executive officer. Trained in applied plasma physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, he has worked on fusion energy technologies and efforts to commercialize fusion power. [This interview was edited for length and clarity.] How would you describe the current state of Ameri…

Nature Communications, Published online: 15 June 2026; doi:10.1038/s41467-026-74298-0 Recent developments of proton acceleration have demonstrated remarkable energies, yet further insight into the acceleration mechanism is needed to fully achieve application-relevant regimes. Here, the authors demonstrate a hybrid scheme where the established target normal sheath acceleration mechanism is enhance…

Researchers from The University of Osaka, National Institute for Fusion Science, National Institutes for Quantum Science and Technology, and Osaka Metropolitan University, et al. have published “Optimization of EUV output by experimentally validated radiation-hydrodynamic simulations across a broad laser parameter space”.   Abstract “Practical requirements such as improving wall-plug efficiency a…

PPPL welcomes the arrival of the central magnet bundle for its National Spherical Torus Experiment-Upgrade, a crucial step in resuming the device's research operations.

Controlled nuclear fusion, recognized as the ultimate solution to humanity's energy crisis, has failed to achieve sustained stable operation with an energy gain factor Q > 10 after 70 years of research. The traditional research paradigm treats plasma and confinement fields as two opposing entities, trapping itself in a vicious cycle of "more complex technology, more instabilities". Based on the u…

Fusion power startup Avalanche Energy said its reactor prototype heated a plasma to over 10 million degrees C.

A new spacecraft system could shield Earth from solar storms by creating an artificial plasma barrier in the magnetosphere.

Abstract Radio-frequency (RF) ion thrusters, as electrodeless plasma sources, offer significant advantages such as simple structure and long operational lifetime. However, their discharge efficiency is often limited by wall losses and the skin effect. Among various optimization approaches, the application of additional magnetic fields has emerged as an effective method for improving discharge per…

Abstract The RF-biased ion thruster is a promising method for achieving self-neutralization. However, the thruster performance is constrained by the limited self-bias voltage, which tends to degrade due to capacitive coupling between the screen grid and the discharge chamber wall. This paper proposes a novel method to enhance the self-bias voltage by adding a screen grid extension ring between th…

The subauroral region is located equatorward of the auroral oval, where important magnetosphere-ionosphere-thermosphere dynamical processes take place. Historically, low-Earth orbit satellites as well as ground-based imagers and radars have provided important information about the region. However, in recent years it has become increasingly clear that there are several unexplored aspects of the re…

Nature, Published online: 03 June 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-01412-z Supersonic shocks in the vicinity of Jupiter suggest that transient plasma structures could govern the acceleration of particles travelling through space.

Subrata Roy, a University of Florida professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering has been selected for induction into the Florida Inventors Hall of Fame for his pioneering work developing plasma‑based technologies that address challenges in areas including health care, food safety, water treatment and space exploration. Roy’s inventions have been patented, commercialized and applied beyond …

A new lab experiment is testing plasma jets as a water-free solution for "space laundry" on future missions to the moon and Mars.

A cloaked alien invasion force is approaching Earth and coming up on Mars. The first officer looks through a viewfinder and says, “Captain, the fourth planet’s atmosphere is behaving strangely. As though it were trying to block incoming energy.” The captain takes a moment, then his (already big) eyes get wide and he exclaims, “It’s a defense shield! The Earthlings are hiding on the fourth planet …