🔬 Category

physics.plasm-ph

534 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.

Tearing Driven Reconnection: Energy Conversion Involving Firehose Kinetic Instabilities (2D Hybrid Möbius Simulations)

This study utilizes 2D hybrid Möbius simulations to demonstrate that during tearing-driven magnetic reconnection in weakly collisional plasmas, energy conversion primarily occurs in the nonlinear phase where magnetic energy transforms into ion bulk flow and heating, with firehose kinetic instabilities subsequently regulating the resulting parallel temperature anisotropy by redistributing internal energy to the perpendicular direction.

Etienne Berriot (LIRA, Observatoire de Paris, Université PSL, Sorbonne Université, Université Paris Cité, CY Cergy Paris Université, CNRS, Meudon, France), Petr Hellinger (Astronomical Institute of th (…)2026-04-06🔭 astro-ph

The IAEA Fusion Data Lake Project -- Accelerating AI and Big Data Applications through Open Science and FAIR Data

This paper presents the IAEA's Fusion Data Lake project, a five-year initiative under the AI for Fusion Coordinated Research Project that aims to accelerate AI and big data applications in fusion energy by developing a FAIR-compliant data infrastructure featuring an international catalogue, centralized storage, and global data federation to enhance the accessibility and visibility of experimental datasets.

Daljeet Singh Gahle, Matteo Barbarino2026-04-03🔬 physics.app-ph

Simulations of internal kink modes and sawtooth crashes for SPARC baseline-like scenarios using the M3D-C1 code

Using the high-fidelity M3D-C1 code, this study investigates low-n MHD instabilities in SPARC baseline scenarios, revealing that internal kink modes drive sawtooth crashes through magnetic reconnection and pressure mixing, with crash timing highly sensitive to the on-axis safety factor and temperature profiles.

W. H. Wang, C. Clauser, C. Liu, N. Ferraro, R. A. Tinguely2026-04-03🔬 physics

Generalized multi-dimensional conservation laws for stimulated Raman and Brillouin scattering in a density gradient

This paper derives generalized multi-dimensional conservation laws for action, energy, momentum, and angular momentum in stimulated Raman and Brillouin scattering within a density gradient by applying Noether's theorem to a newly identified Lagrangian density, thereby extending known one-dimensional relations to include orbital angular momentum and wave shift contributions.

Vijay Patel, Sarah Chase, Frank S. Tsung, John P. Palastro, Denise E. Hinkel, Warren B. Mori2026-04-02🔬 physics

Real-time virtual circuits for plasma shape control via neural network surrogates: dynamic validation in closed-loop simulations

This paper demonstrates that neural network emulators of virtual circuits can robustly and effectively control MAST Upgrade plasma shapes in real-time closed-loop simulations, offering a low-latency alternative to traditional physics-based controllers for future fusion devices.

K. Pentland, A. Ross, N. C. Amorisco, P. Cavestany, T. Nunn, A. Agnello, G. K. Holt, C. Vincent2026-04-02🔬 physics

Ultrafast Kilowatt-Range Microwave Pulsing for Enhanced CO2 Conversion in Atmospheric-Pressure Plasmas

This study demonstrates that ultrafast kilowatt-range microwave pulsing enhances CO2 conversion and energy efficiency in atmospheric-pressure plasmas, achieving up to 40% and 20% improvements respectively in a Surfaguide-based reactor, though these gains are suppressed in a cavity-based torch due to rapid afterglow quenching and the absence of a plasma reignition regime.

S. Soldatov, L. Silberer, C. K. Kiefer, G. Link, A. Navarrete, J. Jelonnek2026-04-02🔬 physics