Plasma Physics
60 terms · page 2 of 3
Laser Wakefield Acceleration
An advanced particle acceleration technique where ultra-intense laser pulses launched through plasma create giant relativistic plasma wave…
Plasma PhysicsLawson Criterion
A fundamental condition for net thermonuclear fusion power gain, specifying minimum values for plasma density n, energy confinement time…
Plasma PhysicsMagnetic Confinement
The trapping of high-temperature fusion plasma using intense magnetic fields that exert Lorentz forces to prevent plasma particles from…
Plasma PhysicsMagnetic Helicity & Taylor Relaxation
A topological invariant measuring the linking, twisting, and tangling of magnetic flux lines in a closed plasma volume.
Plasma PhysicsMagnetic Mirror
A magnetic confinement configuration where converging magnetic field lines reflect charged particles back toward regions of weaker magnetic…
Plasma PhysicsMagnetic Reconnection
A fundamental plasma process where opposing magnetic field lines break and explosively reconnect, releasing stored magnetic field energy…
Plasma PhysicsMagnetized Target Fusion (MTF)
A hybrid fusion approach that combines magnetic confinement thermal insulation with rapid mechanical or laser inertial compression.
Plasma PhysicsMagnetohydrodynamics
The fluid framework describing the macroscopic dynamics and magnetic field interactions of electrically conducting fluids and magnetized…
Plasma PhysicsMagnetron Sputtering
A physical vapor deposition (PVD) technique utilizing magnetically confined glow discharge plasma to sputter target material onto…
Plasma PhysicsNeutral Beam Injection (NBI)
A primary plasma heating and current drive method where high-energy neutral atom beams are injected into a magnetic confinement fusion…
Plasma PhysicsNon-Neutral Plasma
A plasma composed exclusively of a single species of charged particles (electrons, positrons, or single ions) without background charge…
Plasma PhysicsPlasma Antenna
A radiofrequency antenna that uses ionized plasma gas instead of solid metal conductors to transmit and receive electromagnetic signals.
Plasma PhysicsPlasma Astrophysics
The branch of astrophysics applying plasma physics and magnetohydrodynamics to model cosmic phenomena throughout the universe.
Plasma PhysicsPlasma Beta
The ratio of kinetic thermal plasma pressure to magnetic field pressure in a magnetized plasma.
Plasma PhysicsPlasma Etching
A semiconductor manufacturing process using reactive gas plasmas to selectively remove surface layers from microchip wafers.
Plasma PhysicsPlasma Frequency
The natural characteristic frequency of collective electrostatic electron oscillations in a plasma when perturbed from thermal equilibrium.
Plasma PhysicsPlasma Medicine
An emerging field of medical physics applying non-thermal atmospheric pressure plasmas directly to living tissues for therapeutic treatment.
Plasma PhysicsPlasma Parameter
A fundamental dimensionless number in plasma physics measuring the average number of electrons contained within a Debye sphere.
Plasma PhysicsPlasma Sheath
A thin non-neutral positive boundary layer formed in a plasma adjacent to any physical wall or electrode.
Plasma PhysicsPlasma Torch
An electromechanical device that generates a high-temperature thermal plasma jet by passing inert or reactive gas through an electric arc…
Plasma PhysicsPlasma Wave Dispersion Relations
Mathematical equations relating wave frequency ω to wavevector k for electromagnetic and electrostatic waves propagating through magnetized…
Plasma PhysicsQuark-Gluon Plasma (QGP)
A extreme phase of quantum chromodynamic (QCD) matter where hadrons melt into a deconfined state of free quarks and gluons at extreme…
Plasma PhysicsQuasi-neutrality
The property of a plasma where positive ion charge density and negative electron charge density are nearly equal across spatial scales…
Plasma PhysicsRadiofrequency Plasma Heating
A method of heating fusion plasma by launching high-power electromagnetic waves tuned to particle cyclotron or hybrid resonance frequencies.