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 | July 15, 2025

NRL Discovers Inverse Relationship Between Solar Corona Brightness and CME Velocity

By Emily Winget, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory Corporate Communications

WASHINGTON, D.C.  –   U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) detailed an inverse relationship between the brightness of the solar corona and the velocity of coronal mass ejections (CMEs) in a scientific paper published in The Astrophysical Journal on July 3.
 
The study, titled “The Relationship Between the Kinematics of Coronal Mass Ejections and the Brightness of the Corona,” was authored by Kelly Victor-French, M.S., Karl Battams, Ph.D., and Brian E. Wood, Ph.D., all from NRL’s Solar and Heliospheric Physics Branch of the Space Science Division.
 
The team's analysis revealed a significant finding: the brighter the corona overlying active regions on the sun, the less likely high-velocity CMEs were to emerge from those regions.
 
"This unexpected relationship provides valuable insights into the complex dynamics of the sun and its impact on the space environment," Victor-French said. "Understanding this connection could significantly improve our ability to forecast space weather events."
 
Using data from NRL’s Large Angle and Spectrometric Coronagraph Experiment (LASCO) on board the joint European Space Agency (ESA)-NASA Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO), the NRL team compiled nearly three decades of observations of the solar corona. They studied the extensive dataset to investigate trends in the brightness of the Sun’s corona and compare them to CME velocities over the same period. Their study found a strong correlation between the two datasets, with bright regions of the solar corona appearing to relate to substantially slower CME velocities and, in some cases, perhaps entirely precluding CMEs.
 
This research and the associated NRL data have important implications for the space weather community. Advanced knowledge of CME velocity is crucial for improving space weather forecasts, which in turn can lead to more accurate predictions of geomagnetic storms and solar particle events. These phenomena can disrupt satellite communications, power grids, and other critical infrastructure on Earth.
 
"Improved space weather forecasting is essential for protecting our technological infrastructure and ensuring the safety of astronauts in space," Victor-French said.
 
With the publication of these promising results, NRL will continue to explore this relationship and aims to develop a real-time data product for integration into existing space weather models. This ongoing effort promises to further enhance our ability to predict and mitigate the impacts of space weather events.
 
The full article can be accessed at: https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/1538-4357/add3fb
 
 
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, 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@us.navy.mil. Please reference package number at top of press release.
 
###