🔬 Category

physics.plasm-ph

738 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.

🔭 astrophysics

Global Magnetohydrodynamic Simulations of Monster Shocks in Neutron Star Magnetospheres

This paper presents global relativistic magnetohydrodynamic simulations demonstrating that small perturbations in neutron star magnetospheres can steepen into ultra-relativistic "monster shocks," with findings confirming analytical predictions for equatorial shocks and revealing how oblique shocks and competing wave modes can fragment shock fronts, reduce magnetization, and intermittently generate high-energy emission.

Michael P. Grehan, Bart Ripperda, Andrei M. Beloborodov, Christopher Thompson, Elias R. Most2026-03-24
🔬 physics

Modeling Temperature Profiles in the Pedestal of NSTX with Reduced Models

This paper presents a predictive modeling framework for NSTX H-mode pedestal profiles by coupling the ASTRA transport solver with neoclassical and reduced gyrokinetic models, revealing that while neoclassical and ETG turbulence dominate specific channels, KBM/MHD-like modes are essential for accurately capturing transport in both ion and electron thermal channels.

P. -Y. Li, D. R. Hatch, L. A. Leppin, J. Schmidt, J. F. Parisi, M. Lampert, M. Kotschenreuther, S. M. Mahajan2026-03-24
🔬 physics

Phase-controlled direct laser acceleration enabled by longitudinal variation of the laser-driven quasi-static plasma magnetic field

This paper demonstrates that introducing a slow longitudinal increase in the quasi-static plasma magnetic field enables phase-controlled direct laser acceleration by creating hysteresis in the betatron-to-laser frequency ratio, which suppresses reversible energy exchange and allows electrons to sustain net energy gain.

R. Bhakta, I-L. Yeh, K. Tangtartharakul, L. Willingale, A. Arefiev2026-03-24
🔬 physics

Wakefield amplification via coherent Resonant excitation with two copropagating laser pulses in homogeneous plasma

This study demonstrates that coherent resonant excitation using two copropagating laser pulses with a specific temporal separation of approximately a quarter plasma wavelength can amplify wakefield amplitudes up to three times greater than those generated by a single pulse in homogeneous plasma.

Abhishek Kumar Maurya, Dinkar Mishra, Bhupesh Kumar, Ramesh C Sharma, Lal C Mangal, Binoy K Das, Brijesh Kumar2026-03-24
⚛️ general relativity

Operational measurement of relativistic equilibrium from stochastic fields alone

This paper proposes and validates via Monte Carlo simulations a novel protocol that directly reconstructs the relativistic inverse-temperature four-vector from electromagnetic fluctuation correlations in a drifting medium, offering the first experimental method to resolve the century-old controversy regarding the transformation properties of relativistic thermal states without relying on external probes or absolute calibration.

Ira Wolfson2026-03-23
🔬 physics

New Constraints on the Jovian Narrowband Radio Components from Juno/Waves Observations and 3D Geometrical Simulations

By combining Juno/Waves observations with 3D geometrical simulations, this study constrains the generation mechanisms of Jovian narrowband radio emissions (nKOM and nLF), identifying them as primarily fundamental plasma frequency emissions with distinct propagation modes (O-mode at high latitudes and X-mode at low latitudes) and suggesting a potential coexistence of linear and nonlinear generation processes for nLF.

Boudouma Adam, Zarka Philippe, Louis Corentin, Imai Masafumi, Briand Carine2026-03-23
🔬 mesoscale physics

Path-integral Monte Carlo estimator for the dipole polarizability of quantum plasma

This paper introduces and validates a path-integral Monte Carlo estimator for calculating the dipole polarizability of interacting Coulomb plasma in the optical limit by utilizing collective and one-particle dipole autocorrelation functions in imaginary time, demonstrating perfect agreement with analytical Drude model references.

Juha Tiihonen, David Trejo-Garcia, Tapio T. Rantala, Marco Ornigotti2026-03-20