FES Research: Plasma Science and Technology
Plasma physics underpins much of fusion energy research. Plasma is the fourth state of matter, where electrons have separated and are free from atomic nuclei. This group of ions and electrons can conduct electricity and respond to electrical and magnetic fields.
Plasmas exist in a huge range of scales in space and time. They span from very small systems of several atoms to structures that span light years in length. The processes can be as short as attoseconds to as long as hours. Plasmas can even go from ultra-cold (tens of micro Kelvins) to the extreme heat of stellar cores where fusion reactions take place.
Plasma science and technology research provides the foundation for achieving a burning plasma in fusion as well as a variety of other critical applications. These applications include semiconductor and computer chip manufacturing, lighting, sterilization of medical equipment, and televisions. Particle accelerators and free electron lasers also rely on plasma science concepts.
Plasma research also provides insights beyond Earth. As the sun and other stars are made of plasma, it comprises more than 99 percent of the visible universe. Plasma dynamics are at the heart of the formation of galactic jets and accretion of stellar material around black holes.
The Fusion Energy Sciences program supports research that explores the fundamental properties and complex behavior of matter in the plasma state. This research helps improve the knowledge required to control and manipulate plasmas. It supports activities in foundational plasma science research, high energy density laboratory plasmas, transformational plasma science technology, innovation in advanced microelectronics, and efforts to study how plasmas and quantum information science converge.
The program also stewards world-class, laboratory-based plasma science experiments and facilities at small and intermediate scales. These experiments and facilities address major plasma science questions and provide critical data for verifying and validating simulations.
Some of this research is conducted through partnerships and/or coordination with the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA). Maintaining leadership in plasma science and technology is important for supporting U.S. economic growth and safeguarding national security.
Foundational Plasma Science and Technology
Foundational plasma science and technology research aims to increase our understanding of the complex behavior of the plasma state.
The Fusion Energy Sciences program supports research into a large variety of plasmas, ranging from astrophysical to low-temperature plasmas. It also supports collaborative research facilities that enable experiments in new regimes. These experiments enhance our understanding of plasma in nature and the laboratory. Advancing the science of these unexplored areas creates opportunities for new discoveries that could be translated into applications.
Transformational plasma science technology includes research into low-temperature plasmas, microelectronics, and plasma-based technologies. These technologies could have applications in medicine, plasma-enabled chemical reactions, environmental remediation, and agriculture.
This research also includes support for the Facility for Laboratory Reconnection Experiments (FLARE) at DOE’s Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory.
High Energy Density Laboratory Plasmas
Research in high energy density laboratory plasmas explores the behavior of plasmas at extreme conditions of temperature, density, and pressure. These conditions are relevant to astrophysics and planetary science, the structure of matter, interactions between lasers and plasmas, and plasma atomic physics.
Studies of these extreme states are relevant to inertial fusion energy. They also provide essential knowledge for NNSA’s stockpile stewardship program and DOE’s national security mission.
As part of this research, the Fusion Energy Sciences program supports LaserNetUS. This is a geographically distributed network of ten high-intensity laser facilities. This network provides scientists – including students – with broad access to unique facilities and enabling technologies. LaserNetUS advances the frontiers of high energy density plasma and laser science research.
This area also supports the Matter in Extreme Conditions instrument at the Linac Coherent Light Source, a DOE Office of Science User Facility at SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory.
Advanced Microelectronics
The Fusion Energy Sciences Microelectronics program focuses on discovery plasma science to advance plasma-enabled nanofabrication and accelerate microelectronics manufacturing. As plasmas are essential for semiconductor device production, this activity supports research within a multi-disciplinary, co-design framework.
Key research areas include enabling sustainable device manufacturing at extreme scales, optimizing plasma-surface interactions for new materials and device structures, developing advanced modeling and validation capabilities, and controlling radiation for lithography, etching, and deposition applications. The program also supports the DOE Microelectronics Science Research Centers (MSRCs).
Quantum Information Science
The Fusion Energy Sciences Quantum Information Science (QIS) program supports basic research in QIS that can have a transformative impact on FES mission areas as well as research that takes advantage of unique FES-enabled plasma capabilities to advance QIS development.
Areas of focus include:
- Development of quantum computing concepts to address inherently nonlinear plasma dynamics and fusion challenges,
- Implementation of plasma-relevant quantum algorithms on current and emerging quantum hardware platforms,
- Identification of quantum sensing techniques to enhance diagnostic capabilities in plasma science and fusion applications and
- Application of plasma-based methods, including high energy density plasmas (HEDP) and low-temperature plasmas (LTP), to develop and control novel quantum materials for QIS applications.
Learn more about research supported by the Fusion Energy Sciences program:
