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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 | Sept. 30, 2025

U.S. Naval Research Laboratory Unveils New Quantum Materials Research System

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

WASHINGTON, D.C.  –   Scientists at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) have a powerful new tool to accelerate discovery in quantum materials for advanced electronics. The laboratory recently completed installation of a state-of-the-art “cluster system” that allows researchers to grow and analyze materials at the atomic level, all without ever removing samples from its ultra-clean environment.
 
“This system is really exciting for us,” said Connie Li, Ph.D., NRL research scientist. “It’s like Christmas came early. For the first time, we can grow materials one atomic layer at a time and immediately study their structure and electronic properties, all within the same setup.”
 
The cluster system integrates multiple growth and characterization techniques under one roof, connected by a central interface chamber where a robotic transfer arm moves samples between chambers while maintaining ultra-high vacuum. This allows researchers to:
  • Grow new materials using molecular beam epitaxy, a method that deposits materials with atomic precision.
  • Characterize their properties in situ using powerful imaging and spectroscopy techniques, including scanning tunneling microscopy, which can visualize individual atoms, and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy that can map electronic band structures.
  • Fabricate nanoscale functional devices by layering different materials, including magnetic and electronic films, onto newly developed structures.
Traditionally, researchers had to remove samples from one instrument and ship them to specialized facilities, risking contamination and slowing progress. With NRL’s new cluster system, those steps are eliminated.
 
“Now we can stop in the middle of a growth process, check the surface of a material atom by atom, and then continue refining it,” Li explained. “That makes our work cleaner, faster, and far more precise than before.”
 
The research focuses on quantum materials, which exhibit unusual properties rooted in quantum mechanics. These include superconductors, which can carry electricity with zero energy loss, and topological insulators, which conduct only on their surfaces and are resilient against defects. Such materials have the potential to revolutionize Navy and Department of War technologies in areas like memory storage, advanced sensors, and energy-efficient electronics.
 
“This system gives us the ability to make and study new materials for the next generation of electronics, beyond what current silicon-based technology can do,” said Olaf van ‘t Erve, Ph.D., NRL research scientist who’s also working on the system.
 
The installation, has now reached operational status. NRL researchers say the system will greatly accelerate discoveries and shorten the path from fundamental science to future applications for the Fleet and the Nation.
 
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.
 
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