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 23, 2025

Naval Research Laboratory Researcher Honored for Groundbreaking Arctic Cyclone Study

By Jameson Crabtree, U.S. Naval Research Laboratory Corporate Communications

WASHINGTON, D.C.  –   Daniel Lloveras, a postdoctoral researcher at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL), was recognized with the Very Early Career Presentation Award at an American Meteorological Society (AMS) conference on June 23 for his innovative research on Arctic polar lows, which are powerful weather systems.

“Polar lows are these really intense small-scale cyclones that can form in the Arctic,” Lloveras said. “They are sometimes referred to as Arctic hurricanes.”

These cyclones are driven by sharp temperature contrasts between sea ice and open ocean, and the strong winds and waves they produce pose significant threats to strategic operations in the region.

Lloveras’ research addresses the longstanding difficulty in predicting these hazardous storms. “The forecast skill for these cyclones is pretty limited,” Lloveras said. “My research was about understanding the mechanisms for why these forecasts tend to be challenging.”

His findings challenge conventional assumptions. “What I showed with my research is that large-scale processes tend to be more important than small-scale ones for polar-low forecasting,” he said. “That gives us more hope that there’s room for improvement.”

The research carries significant implications for both national defense and commercial interests. “There’s a lot of interest in the Arctic lately from a strategic point of view, and so we wanted to tamp out the potential sources of improvement for these systems,” Lloveras said.

Lloveras’ study marks a first in the field. “No one had really done a study like this before for these Arctic polar lows,” he said. “People at the conference were interested because the particular type of study I was doing, on the theory of forecast error growth, hasn’t been done at all for Arctic weather systems of this type.”

Looking ahead, Lloveras is expanding his work by leveraging artificial intelligence to run large-scale simulations. “I decided to use a machine learning weather prediction model to conduct simulations of about 600 cases,” Lloveras said. “This allows us to give a more broad-brush conclusion about what the source of the forecast skill problem actually is.”

Lloveras was surprised to receive the AMS Very Early Career Outstanding Presentation Award. “Honestly, I didn’t know I was being evaluated for an award, but I felt validated in receiving it because I thought I did a good job presenting the work,” Lloveras said. “The AMS does a great job of recognizing people with early career achievements. It’s encouraging.”

His work highlights the growing importance of Arctic meteorology and exemplifies NRL’s commitment to advancing scientific understanding of operationally relevant phenomena.

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@nrl.navy.mil. Please reference package number at top of press release.
###