Simulations of Magnetically Confined Plasmas Reveal a Self-Regulating Stabilizing Mechanism
A mysterious mechanism that prevents instabilities may be similar to the process that maintains the Earth's magnetic field.
A mysterious mechanism that prevents instabilities may be similar to the process that maintains the Earth's magnetic field.
2-D velocity imaging helps fusion researchers understand the role of ion winds (aka flows) in the boundary of tokamak plasmas.
A non-twisting laser beam moving through magnetized plasma turns into an optical vortex that traps, rotates, and controls microscopic particles, opening new frontiers in imaging.
Just like lightning, fusion plasmas contain odd electromagnetic whistler waves that could control destructive electrons in fusion reactors.
Energetic ions and beam heating cause or calm instabilities, depending on the tokamak’s magnetic field.
First demonstration of high-pressure metastability mapping with ultrafast X-ray diffraction shows objects aren’t as large as previously thought.
Plasma physicists significantly improve the vertical stability of a Korean fusion device.
Microwave heating significantly alters Alfvén waves, offering insights into the physics of the waves themselves.
Scientists map electrical currents emanating from the boundary of a tokamak plasma, providing new information for reactor design.
International collaborators advance physics basis for tokamak plasma confinement at low rotation, potentially benefiting a fusion reactor.
New supercomputing capabilities help understand how to cope with large-scale instabilities in tokamaks.
For the first time, scientists modeled the spontaneous bifurcation of turbulence to high-confinement mode, solving a 35-year-old mystery.