🔬 Category

physics.plasm-ph

739 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.

🔬 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. Va (…)2026-01-22
🔬 physics

Triggers for plasma detachment bifurcation in the edge divertor region of tokamaks

Through UEDGE simulations of DIII-D H-mode plasmas, this study identifies that plasma detachment bifurcation is triggered by a high-field-side radiation front crossing the separatrix, which causes an X-point electron temperature drop and E×BE\times B flow reversal that subsequently drives a rapid collapse of the outer target temperature to establish deep detachment.

Menglong Zhao, Thomas Rognlien, Ben Zhu, Filippo Scotti, Xinxing Ma, Adam McLean2026-01-22
⚛️ quantum physics

Transient fields in oblique scattering from an infinite planar dielectric interface -- a qubit lattice simulation

This paper utilizes a nearly unitary qubit lattice algorithm to simulate the time-dependent oblique scattering of bounded Gaussian pulses from an infinite planar dielectric interface, demonstrating excellent energy conservation and revealing that while reflected pulses maintain their Gaussian shape, transmitted pulses exhibit a hybrid structure of Gaussian envelopes and Huygens-like wavefronts whose strength depends on the incident pulse width.

Min Soe, George Vahala, Linda Vahala, Efstratios Koukoutsis, Abhay K. Ram, Kyriakos Hizanidis2026-01-15
🔬 physics

Analysis of wave processes using beam-driven Langmuir/Z\mathcal{Z}-mode waveforms generated in Particle-In-Cell simulations

This study utilizes two-dimensional Particle-In-Cell simulations with virtual satellite diagnostics to quantify how plasma density turbulence and magnetization influence the interplay between nonlinear decay and linear mode conversion of beam-driven Langmuir/Z\mathcal{Z}-mode waves, thereby advancing the understanding of electromagnetic emission mechanisms in Type III solar radio bursts.

Francisco Javier Polanco-Rodríguez, Catherine Krafft, Philippe Savoini2026-01-15