🔬 Category

physics.plasm-ph

725 papers

Plasma physics explores the behavior of the fourth state of matter, a superheated soup of charged particles that makes up most of the visible universe. From the fusion power we hope to harness on Earth to the glowing auroras and distant stars above, this field investigates how these energetic gases interact with magnetic fields and light. It is a dynamic area where extreme conditions reveal fundamental laws of nature in ways solid matter never can.

At Gist.Science, we bridge the gap between these complex discoveries and curious minds by processing every new preprint from arXiv in this category. We transform dense, technical research into clear, plain-language explanations alongside detailed summaries, ensuring that breakthroughs in plasma dynamics and fusion energy are accessible to everyone. Below are the latest papers in plasma physics, curated and simplified for your reading.

⚡ electrical engineering

Assessing the economic benefits of space weather mitigation investment decisions: Evidence from Aotearoa New Zealand

This study presents the first dedicated economic assessment of geomagnetic storm impacts on Aotearoa New Zealand, demonstrating that targeted mitigation strategies for power grid vulnerabilities can yield substantial economic benefits, with benefit-cost ratios reaching up to 330:1, thereby strongly justifying pre-emptive investment to avoid potential GDP losses of up to 0.98%.

Edward J. Oughton, Andrew Renton, Daniel Mac Marnus, Dennies Bor, Craig J. Rodger2026-07-14
🔬 physics

Anisotropy and intermittency in drift-wave turbulence with zonal flows: a two-dimensional continuous wavelet analysis

This paper utilizes a two-dimensional directional continuous wavelet transform on numerical simulations of the modified Hasegawa--Wakatani model to reveal that drift-wave turbulence with zonal flows exhibits enhanced anisotropy perpendicular to the flow direction and pronounced spatial intermittency along it.

Katsunori Yoshimatsu, Zetao Lin, Hideaki Miura, Kai Schneider2026-07-14
🔬 physics

Non-thermal Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Combined with Benzoyl Peroxide to Enhance the Inhibition of Bacteria

This study demonstrates that combining non-thermal atmospheric pressure plasma with benzoyl peroxide significantly enhances bacterial inactivation efficacy against *Escherichia coli* compared to plasma treatment alone, despite the precise chemical mechanisms remaining to be fully elucidated.

Tzu-Hsuan Chen (Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University), Chao-Yu Chen (Departmen (…)2026-07-14
🔬 physics

Ultrashort pulsed laser atmospheric filament properties and microwave radiation inferred from S-band guided wave interaction and self-emission

This paper characterizes ultrashort pulsed laser-induced atmospheric filaments by measuring their electrical conductivity via S-band waveguide attenuation and self-emission to infer key plasma parameters, ultimately refining the inferred current decay rate by accounting for the filament's actual axial variation in microwave radiation.

Edward. L. Ruden, James. E. Wymer, Jennifer. A. Elle, Alex C. Englesbe, Andrain P. Lucero, Erin A. Thornton, Andreas Sch (…)2026-07-14
🔬 physics

Destabilization of temperature-gradient-driven plasma turbulence by equilibrium E⃗×B⃗\vec{E}\times \vec{B} flow shear

This paper reveals that equilibrium sheared E⃗×B⃗\vec{E}\times \vec{B} flow, typically used to suppress plasma turbulence, can paradoxically destabilize it by destroying self-generated zonal flows in a newly identified regime, leading to a sharp increase in transport before stronger shear eventually quenches the turbulence.

Haomin Sun, Plamen G. Ivanov, Justin Ball, Stephan Brunner, Bhavin S. Patel2026-07-14
🔭 astrophysics

Direct Measurement of Diffusion Coefficients: Evidence for Diffusive Stochastic Heating in Collisionless Plasmas

Using a novel technique to empirically measure velocity-space diffusion coefficients from Parker Solar Probe data, this study provides direct evidence that stochastic heating driven by non-coherent fluctuations, when accounting for intermittency, is the dominant mechanism for collisionless plasma dissipation in a specific low-beta solar wind stream, outperforming resonant heating and helicity-barrier models.

Tamar Ervin, Trevor A. Bowen, Alfred Mallet, Philip A. Isenberg, Kristopher G. Klein, Stuart D. Bale, Benjamin D. G. Cha (…)2026-07-14
🔬 physics

Reformation of Supercritical Perpendicular Shock

By combining Magnetospheric Multiscale (MMS) observations with high-resolution hybrid simulations, this study demonstrates that the non-stationarity of supercritical perpendicular shocks is driven by a self-regulating reformation cycle, where Hall-field ion reflection builds a foot that temporarily suppresses further reflection until the cycle restarts, rather than by surface rippling.

Yuri V. Khotyaintsev, Domenico Trotta, Daniel B. Graham2026-07-13