An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

Home : Our Work : Areas of Research : Plasma Physics

    Plasma Physics
Phone: (202) 767-5635

 

Overview

The Plasma Physics Division conducts broad theoretical and experimental programs of basic and applied research in plasma physics, laboratory discharge, and space plasmas, intense electron and ion beams and photon sources, atomic physics, pulsed power sources, laser physics, advanced spectral diagnostics, and nonlinear systems. 

The effort of the Division is concentrated on a few closely coordinated theoretical and experimental programs. Considerable emphasis is placed on large-scale numerical simulations related to plasma dynamics; ionospheric, magnetospheric, and atmospheric dynamics; nuclear weapons effects; inertial confinement fusion; atomic physics; plasma processing; nonlinear dynamics and chaos; free electron lasers and other advanced radiation sources; advanced accelerator concepts; and atmospheric laser propagation.

Core Capabilities 

  • Radiation Hydrodynamics - The principal emphasis is in the development and application of theoretical models and state-of-the-art numerical simulations combining magnetohydrodynamics, high energy density physics, atomic and radiation physics, and spectroscopy.
  • Laser Plasma - Primary areas of research include physics underpinnings of laser fusion, high-energy-gain laser-inertial- fusion target designs, experiments and simulations of laser-matter interactions at high intensity, advancing the science and technologies of high-energy krypton fluoride and argon fluoride lasers, advancing the technologies of durable high-repetition-rate pulse power and electron-beam diodes for laser pumping and other applications, laser fusion as a power source.
  • Space and Laboratory Plasmas - Space research includes theoretical, numerical, and laboratory and space experimental investigations of the dynamic behavior of the near-Earth space plasmas and radiation belts, and the modification of space plasmas for strategic effects on HF communications, satellite navigation, over-the-horizon radar, and UHF satellite communications.  Applications-oriented plasma research is performed in the production, characterization, and use of low-temperature plasmas and related technology for applications to advance capabilities across the Navy and DOD.  Pulsed-power investigations include electromagnetic launch science and technology and research on directed energy systems for the U.S. Navy.
  • Pulsed Power Physics - Experimental and theoretical research is performed to advance pulsed power driven accelerator technology in areas relevant to defense applications. Research concerns the production, transport, characterization, and modeling of pulsed plasmas and intense high-power, charged particle beams using terawatt-class hundred-kilojoule pulsed power systems that employ capacitive or inductive energy storage and advanced switching. 
  • Directed Energy Physics - Research encompasses the integration of theoretical/computational and experimental research relevant to DOD, ONR, DARPA, and DoE in the areas of ultra-high field laser physics, atmospheric propagation of intense lasers, advanced radiation and accelerator physics, laser-generated plasma-microwave interactions, and dynamics of nonlinear systems. 

Facilities Fact Sheets

  • Electra Experimental Lab Facility - Electron beam pumped laser.  [ Download PDF]
  • NIKE KrF Laser Target Facility.  [Download PDF]
  • Space Plasma Simulation Chamber.  [Download PDF]

Plasma Physics News

NEWS | June 26, 2023

Leading a Transformational Shift in the Implementation of Batteries: Dr. Corey T. Love Receives Applied Science and Engineering Arthur S. Flemming Award

By Nicholas E. M. Pasquini, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory Corporate Communications

WASHINGTON  –   Dr. Corey T. Love, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) materials research engineer, received the 2023 Arthur S. Flemming Award in Applied Science and Engineering for research in rechargeable battery safety and advancing the Department of Defense's (DOD’s) capability for safely employing lithium-ion (Li-on) batteries.

“I am honored to be recognized as a recipient of the Flemming Award considering the list of exceptional civil servants to have previously received this award and the distinguished recipients in this year's cohort,” said Love. “I am fortunate to have had great mentors help shape my early career, it feels great to be able to share this recognition with them.”
 
His research is providing critical answers to some of the most basic issues facing the lithium-ion battery community, including finding the root cause of battery failure and how new designs or processes can be implemented to mitigate these risks.
 
Love achieved a critical advancement in the development of an in situ optical microscopy technique enabling, for the first time, direct visualization of temperature-dependent lithium dendrite morphologies forming inside lithium-ion batteries during charging.
 
“Dr. Love is leading a transformational shift in the implementation of batteries within the DOD,” said NRL Chemistry Division Superintendent Dr. John Russell. “His visionary leadership, technical advances and cross-government subject matter expertise and cooperation are clearly impacting the state of rechargeable battery safety and supply, which are very much in the national interest.”
 
By building upon the DOD’s knowledge base, Love developed a simple test for determining the state of health of an individual battery or pack, where the extreme conditions demanded by the military elevate risk of fire and explosion.
 
“Being the first to identify critical gaps in the understanding of instability in batteries and perform targeted research efforts highlighting their significance has made a large impact on warfighter protection,” Love said. “The investigation my team has conducted in the field of battery safety science lays the foundation for numerous collaborative research efforts outside of NRL. The fleet and nation are better served through this collective effort.”
 
As a leading battery safety expert, Love is engaged in coordinating and disseminating battery safety advances across the defense, energy, transportation, and space-related government agencies, resulting in key strategic documents on Li-ion battery safety, science and technology strategy, and supply chain challenges.
 
“Love’s research has fundamentally changed the way the scientific field quantitatively characterizes batteries and is influencing how batteries will be used by the DOD moving forward,” said Dr. Richard Stroman, NRL Alternative Energy Section head and Love’s supervisor.
 
The NRL Alternative Energy Section, a part of the Chemistry Division, develops new and improved power and energy sources and systems for the Navy, U.S. Marine Corps (USMC) and DOD. Scientists and engineers in the section explore energy harvesting, storage to large-scale power production, and vehicle powertrains.

“I appreciate working with talented scientists and engineers sharing a common mission focus,” Love said. “As a federal scientist at the Naval Research Laboratory you are provided the opportunity to engage and participate with the broader academic research community while maintaining a steady focus on the advancement of science to support the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. Mission-focused research is what continues to drive me.”
 
This award is sponsored by the Arthur S. Flemming Commission, named for a federal official who served in senior positions from the Eisenhower to Clinton administrations, in partnership with the National Academy of Public Administration and George Washington University. Awards will be presented at the Arthur S. Flemming Awards Program in Washington, DC, in fall 2023.

About the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory

NRL is a scientific and engineering command dedicated to research that drives innovative advances for the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps from the seafloor to space and in the information domain. NRL is located in Washington, D.C. with major field sites in Stennis Space Center, Mississippi; Key West, Florida; Monterey, California, and employs approximately 3,000 civilian scientists, engineers and support personnel.
 
For more information, contact NRL Corporate Communications at (202) 480-3746 or nrlpao@nrl.navy.mil.  Please reference package number at top of press release.