🔬 Category

physics.plasm-ph

547 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.

Spectral Evolution and Current Sheet Analysis as Probes of Reconnection-Mediated Decay in Magnetically Dominated Turbulence

This paper establishes magnetic reconnection as the fundamental mechanism driving the decay, inverse energy transfer, and spectral evolution of magnetically dominated turbulence across various dimensions and helicity regimes, demonstrating that decay timescales follow Sweet-Parker scaling and are governed by local current-sheet dynamics rather than global system properties.

Chandranathan Anandavijayan, Pallavi Bhat2026-01-27🔭 astro-ph

Evidence of Langmuir/Z\mathcal{Z}-mode Wave Decay into Z\mathcal{Z}-mode Electromagnetic Radiation in the Solar Wind

Using high-resolution measurements from the Solar Orbiter's RPW instrument and supporting particle-in-cell simulations, this study provides the first definitive evidence in the solar wind of Langmuir/Z\mathcal{Z}-mode waves decaying into electromagnetic Z\mathcal{Z}-mode radiation, a process confirmed by resonance conditions, phase coherence, and theoretical agreement within a specific density well environment.

F. J. Polanco-Rodríguez, C. Krafft, P. Savoini2026-01-27🔬 physics

Ion Temperature Anisotropy Limits from Magnetic Curvature Scattering in Magnetotail Reconnection Jets

This study demonstrates that magnetic curvature scattering acts as a critical mechanism to limit ion temperature anisotropy and maintain current sheet stability in magnetotail reconnection jets, a finding supported by analytical thresholds, numerical simulations, and spacecraft observations.

Louis Richard, Anton V. Artemyev, Cecilia Norgren, Xin An, Sergey R. Kamaletdinov, Yuri V. Khotyaintsev2026-01-26🔬 physics

A kinetic-moment framework for electron energy dynamics in capacitively coupled plasmas: absorption, conversion, transport, and dissipation

This paper proposes a kinetic-moment framework based on PIC/MCC simulations to quantitatively describe electron energy dynamics in low-pressure capacitively coupled plasmas, revealing that electrons gain directed kinetic energy in the sheath, convert it to thermal energy via pressure-strain interactions and collisions, and transport it nonlocally to the bulk where it is dissipated by inelastic collisions, all while demonstrating that heat flux deviates significantly from Fourier's law.

Jianxiong Yao, Zeduan Zhang, Feng He, Jinsong Miao, Jiting Ouyang, Bocong Zheng2026-01-23🔬 physics

Ionization Dynamics in Intense Laser-Produced Plasmas

This study reveals that intense laser-irradiated argon plasmas exhibit significant delayed ionization responses and stepwise processes involving highly excited states, demonstrating that low-energy photons can drive substantial ionization and necessitating the inclusion of these non-steady-state dynamics in radiation hydrodynamic simulations.

M. S. Cho, A. L. Milder, W. Rozmus, H. P. Le, H. A. Scott, D. T. Bishel, D. Turnbull, S. B. Libby, M. E. Foord2026-01-22🔬 physics

Betatron radiation emitted during the direct laser acceleration of electrons in underdense plasmas

This paper demonstrates through particle-in-cell simulations and analytical modeling that direct laser acceleration of electrons in low-density underdense plasmas using multi-petawatt lasers can generate high-brilliance gamma-ray radiation with conversion efficiencies of a few percent and photon yields of ∼1010\sim 10^{10} per 0.1% bandwidth.

Robert Babjak, Marija Vranic2026-01-22🔬 physics

Carrier envelope phase and laser pulse shape effects on Schwinger vacuum pair production in super-Gaussian asymmetric electric fields

This study demonstrates that the carrier envelope phase and pulse shape of asymmetric super-Gaussian electric fields critically influence electron-positron pair production via the Schwinger mechanism, with specific configurations like short falling pulses and flat-top profiles enhancing pair density by up to three orders of magnitude.

Abhinav Jangir, Anees Ahmed2026-01-22🔬 physics

Understanding Carbon Sourcing and Transport Originating from the Helicon Antenna Surfaces During High-Power Helicon Discharge in DIII-D Tokamak

This study utilizes the integrated STRIPE modeling framework to demonstrate that rectified RF sheath potentials near the DIII-D helicon antenna drive carbon erosion and transport, revealing that while current graphite-wall conditions limit core impurity accumulation, specific plasma configurations can still facilitate significant net erosion and core-directed impurity flux, underscoring the necessity for sheath-aware antenna designs in future high-power fusion devices.

A. Kumar, D. Nath, W. Tierens, J. D. Lore, R. Wilcox, G. Ronchi, M. Shafer, A. Y. Joshi, O. Sahni, M. S. Shephard, B. Van Compernolle, R. I. Pinsker, A. Demby, O. Schmitz2026-01-22🔬 physics