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Story tips from the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory, October 2019

Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory have demonstrated that metal foam can enhance the evaporation process in thermal conversion systems, enabling the development of compact heating, ventilation and refrigeration units. The small-scale evaporator proved metal foam is well-suited for compact systems.

SourceDOE/Oak Ridge National Laboratory·JournalProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences·DateOct 7, 2019

Simulations fix the cracks in magnetic mirrors

Physicists have found that by fine-tuning the electromagnet configurations and initial plasma properties, magnetic mirrors can achieve longer confinement times and lower loss rates. This could make them ideal for new particle physics experiments.

SourceSpringer·JournalThe European Physical Journal D·DateJul 18, 2019

Fusion's path to practicality

TAE Technologies, backed by DOE funding through INCITE program, aims to achieve commercially viable nuclear fusion energy. The company's FRC device seeks to confine plasma at high temperatures for extended periods, paving the way for sustainable, carbon-free energy production.

As hot as the sun's interior

Researchers at Friedrich Schiller University Jena have successfully created plasma using nanowires and long-wavelength ultrashort pulse lasers. The new method achieves higher temperatures than previously thought possible in a laboratory setting, opening up new avenues for studying plasma and its properties.

SourceFriedrich-Schiller-Universitaet Jena·JournalPhysical Review X·DateJun 5, 2019

Researchers turn liquid metal into a plasma

Scientists at the University of Rochester's LLE have successfully turned a liquid metal into a plasma, exhibiting classical properties at high temperatures. This discovery has implications for better understanding stars and planets, as well as realizing controlled nuclear fusion, a promising alternative energy source.

SourceUniversity of Rochester·JournalPhysical Review Letters·DateMar 11, 2019

Scientists perform first-principles simulation of transition of plasma edge to H-mode

Physicists at PPPL have simulated the spontaneous transition of turbulence at the plasma edge to H-mode using a first-principles-based model. The simulation reveals that both turbulence-generated and non-turbulent sheared flows contribute to the bifurcation, providing the physics-basis for successful tokamak operation.

SourceDOE/Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory·JournalPhysical Review Letters·DateMay 18, 2017

Plasma: Casimir and Yukawa mesons

Researchers discovered a connection between nuclear particles and electromagnetic theories via plasmas, suggesting an equivalence between generalized Casimir forces and weak nuclear interactions. The study found that long-range electromagnetic fluctuations differ from those in vacuum conditions.

SourceSpringer·JournalThe European Physical Journal D·DateNov 3, 2014