NEWS: High-energy-density physics

An artist's rendering of a neutron star against the black background of space surrounded by a purple accretion disk and ejecting a bright white stream of x-rays from either pole.

July 31, 2024

Rishabh Datta is recreating celestial X-ray bursts in a lab

Rishabh Datta, a 5th year PhD student who recently defended his thesis, recently published a paper called “Plasmoid formation and strong radiative cooling in a driven magnetic reconnection experiment”. The article, which was an Editor's Suggestion in Physical Review Letters, demonstrated that it's possible to recreate extreme astrophysical evens in a lab. His paper was also featured on the cover of the April issue of Physics of Plasma and was a Research Highlight in Nature Astronomy. 

PSFC News

Maria Gatu Johnson in her lab, holding a small gold Hohlraum in a plastic case

February 22, 2024

Maria Gatu-Johnson featured by MIT's ILP

Principal Research Scientist Maria Gatu-Johnson breaks down her work in designing neutron diagnostics for MIT's Industrial Liaison Program.

Johan Frenje against an image of a laser- the laser is visible with an orange center, fading to red and then purple. Johan is smiling in the left of the frame; a white man with short sandy hair, wire rimmed glasses, a dark jacket and a light gray button up shirt.

August 8, 2023

Johan Frenje wins Fusion Power Associates 2023 Leadership Award

Johan Frenje, Senior Research Scientist and the Head of the High-Energy-Density Physics (HEDP) Division at the MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center, has been selected as a recipient of the Fusion Power Associates (FPA) 2023 Leadership Award.

September 29, 2022

PSFC researchers honored with John Dawson Award

Three members of the PSFC High-Energy-Density Physics (HEDP) Division have been honored with the APS John Dawson Award for Excellence in Plasma Physics Research: Maria Gatu Johnson, Richard Petrasso and Johan Frenje.

PSFC News

Skylar Dannhoff in grey chair in lounge area

September 26, 2022

Finding community in high-energy-density physics

As part of the PSFC's High-Energy-Density Physics Division, graduate student Skylar Dannhoff is discovering the collaborative world of fusion research.

Plasma Science and Fusion Center

Image of lasers at NIF

August 24, 2022

MIT students contribute to the success of historic fusion experiment

MIT has contributed to the success of the ignition program at the National Ignition Facilty for more than a decade by providing and using a dozen diagnostics, implemented by MIT PhD students and staff, which have been critical for assessing the performance of an implosion, like the one pictured.  

PSFC News

bow shock in the Orion Nebula

August 7, 2019

Astrophysical shock phenomena reproduced in laboratory

PSFC's Chikang Li and an international team of researachers have reproduced critical conditions of collisionless shocks in the laboratory, allowing for detailed study of the processes taking place within giant cosmic smashups.

MIT News

August 1, 2019

PSFC physicist Maria Gatu Johnson wins APS award

Research scientist Maria Gatu Johnson, part of the PSFC’s High-Energy-Density Physics Division, will receive the American Physical Society’s Katherine E. Weimer Award, which recognizes outstanding plasma science research by a woman physicist in the early stages of her career.

Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

February 4, 2019

From summer research program to PhD dissertation

One of the most important aspects of MIT’s educational mission is preparing students to be effective members of their scientific and technological communities. For Raspberry Simpson, that process began when she was a 17-year-old participant in the MIT Summer Research Program.

NSE News

Members of the HEDP division, MIT

January 28, 2019

Stronger together

Officially entitled the Center for Advanced Nuclear Diagnostics and Platforms for Inertial ICF and HEDP at Omega, NIF and Z, the new Center will focus on the properties of plasma under extreme conditions of temperature, density and pressure.

PSFC

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