Plasma physics articles within Nature Physics

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  • Letter |

    High coupling efficiency between laser-induced hohlraum X-rays and targets is essential for reaching long-sought regimes for viable inertial confinement fusion. Experiments with a rugby hohlraum shape and an improved capsule now allow demonstration of more than 30%.

    • Y. Ping
    • , V. A. Smalyuk
    •  & D. Montgomery

  • News & Views |

    The axial symmetry of tokamaks benefits plasma confinement but hinders control. Experiments have now proven that optimized non-axisymmetric magnetic fields can provide much improved control without degrading the plasma confinement.

    • Allen H. Boozer

  • Article |

    A theoretical and numerical approach, validated by experiments at the KSTAR facility, shows how magnetohydrodynamic instabilities in tokamak plasmas can be efficiently controlled by a small relaxation of the confining field into a 3D configuration.

    • Jong-Kyu Park
    • , YoungMu Jeon
    •  & Michael C. Zarnstroff

  • News & Views |

    The first campaign of the largest stellarator ever built, Wendelstein 7-X, has been successful, achieving high electron temperatures and minimal self-generated plasma current. This is very encouraging for future long-pulse, full-power operation.

    • Joseph N. Talmadge

  • Article |

    Results from the first experimental campaign of the Wendelstein 7-X stellarator demonstrate that its magnetic-field design grants good control of parasitic plasma currents, leading to long energy confinement times.

    • A. Dinklage
    • , C. D. Beidler
    •  & M. Zuin

  • Letter |

    Electrons can be accelerated by astrophysical shocks if they are sufficiently fast to start with. As laboratory laser-produced shock experiments reveal, this can be achieved by lower-hybrid waves generated by a shock-reflected ion instability.

    • A. Rigby
    • , F. Cruz
    •  & G. Gregori

  • Letter |

    The first observational evidence of plasma heating through the dissipation of Alfvén-wave energy in tenuous regions of solar magnetism provides fresh insight into heating processes in the solar atmosphere, and in other magnetohydrodynamic systems.

    • Samuel D. T. Grant
    • , David B. Jess
    •  & Rebecca L. Hewitt

  • Article |

    In a hot, under-dense plasma, eight input beams are combined into a single, well-collimated beam, whose energy is more than triple than that of any incident beam. This shows how nonlinear interactions in plasmas can produce optics beams at much higher intensity than possible in solids.

    • R. K. Kirkwood
    • , D. P. Turnbull
    •  & B. E. Blue

  • Letter |

    Plasma optics enables the manipulation of highly intense laser beams. Now, plasma holograms, involving the creation of a modulated plasma surface on a solid target, are reported — for example, plasma hologram fork gratings produce optical vortices.

    • A. Leblanc
    • , A. Denoeud
    •  & F. Quéré

  • News & Views |

    Direct satellite observations of energy transfer between large and small space plasma scales contribute to our understanding of how matter in the Universe gets hot.

    • Alessandro Retinò

  • Research Highlights |

    • Bart Verberck

  • Article |

    Substorms in the Earth’s magnetosphere lead to bright aurorae, releasing energy into the surrounding ionosphere. Ground- and space-based observations now reveal how that energy is dissipated and controlled by strong electric currents.

    • E. V. Panov
    • , W. Baumjohann
    •  & M. V. Kubyshkina

  • Article |

    Processes in (space) plasmas occur on different levels — fluid, ion and electron. Now, from satellite data and simulations, an energy-transfer mechanism between the fluid and ion scales is reported: fluid velocity shear is converted into ion heating.

    • T. W. Moore
    • , K. Nykyri
    •  & A. P. Dimmock

  • Commentary |

    Fusion research is driven by the applied goal of energy production from fusion reactions. There is, however, a wealth of fundamental physics to be discovered and studied along the way. This Commentary discusses selected developments in diagnostics and present-day research topics in high-temperature plasma physics.

    • Alexander V. Melnikov

  • Editorial |

    Although driven by the promise of almost limitless energy, fusion research touches on plenty of gripping, fundamental physics — and the wider scientific community has every reason to be supportive.

  • Commentary |

    Fusion power is one of a very few sustainable options to replace fossil fuels as the world's primary energy source. Although the conditions for fusion have been reached, much remains to be done to turn scientific success into commercial electrical power.

    • Steven C. Cowley

  • Commentary |

    Energy-producing nuclear fusion reactions taking place in tokamaks cause radiation damage and radioactivity. Remote-handling technology for repairing and replacing in-vessel components has evolved enormously over the past two decades — and is now being deployed elsewhere too.

    • Rob Buckingham
    •  & Antony Loving

  • Review Article |

    One way of realizing controlled nuclear fusion reactions for the production of energy involves confining a hot plasma in a magnetic field. Here, the physics of magnetic-confinement fusion is reviewed, focusing on the tokamak and stellarator concepts.

    • J. Ongena
    • , R. Koch
    •  & H. Zohm

  • Review Article |

    The quest for energy production from controlled nuclear fusion reactions has been ongoing for many decades. Here, the inertial confinement fusion approach, based on heating and compressing a fuel pellet with intense lasers, is reviewed.

    • R. Betti
    •  & O. A. Hurricane

  • Interview |

    Construction of the ITER tokamak, arguably the largest scientific project ever, is well under way in the south of France. Nature Physics spoke with ITER's Director-General, Bernard Bigot, about the challenges ahead — a conversation about physics, engineering, politics and culture.

    • Bart Verberck

  • Review Article |

    For achieving proper safety and efficiency of future fusion power plants, low-activation materials able to withstand the extreme fusion conditions are needed. Here, the irradiation physics at play and fusion materials research is reviewed.

    • J. Knaster
    • , A. Moeslang
    •  & T. Muroga

  • Review Article |

    Simulating magnetically confined fusion plasmas is crucial to understand and control them. Here, the state of the art and the multi-physics involved are discussed: electromagnetism and hydrodynamics combined over vast spatiotemporal ranges.

    • A. Fasoli
    • , S. Brunner
    •  & L. Villard

  • Article |

    Inertial confinement fusion, based on laser-heating a deuterium–tritium mixture, is one of the approaches towards energy production from fusion reactions. Now, record energy-yield experiments are reported—bringing us closer to ignition conditions.

    • O. A. Hurricane
    • , D. A. Callahan
    •  & C. Yeamans

  • News & Views |

    Three-dimensional rogue waves have been observed in a dusty-plasma system, which provides a wave–particle interaction view on their formation.

    • Jeremiah Williams

  • Editorial |

    With a dedicated monthly column, Nature Physics draws attention to metrology. And a set of Commentaries in this issue focuses on various aspects of thermometry.

  • Commentary |

    Sustaining and measuring high temperatures in fusion plasmas is a challenging task that requires different heating systems and diagnostic tools. Information on the spatial distribution of temperature is one of the key elements for improving and controlling plasma performance.

    • Didier Mazon
    • , Christel Fenzi
    •  & Roland Sabot

  • Letter |

    Experimentally probing the dynamics of laser–plasma interactions is hard, owing to the nature of the relevant temporal and spatial scales at play. Ptychography, a phase-problem solving technique, can help the analysis of such interaction measurements.

    • A. Leblanc
    • , S. Monchocé
    •  & F. Quéré

  • News & Views |

    Two observational studies published in Nature Physics provided early evidence for the mechanisms of magnetic reconnection in three dimensions and in a turbulent medium.

    • Ellen Zweibel

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