MagNetUS Newsletter #4

APRIL 2026

Welcome to the Fourth MagNetUS Newsletter!

It is a pleasure to welcome you to the fourth issue of the MagNetUS Quarterly Newsletter and to share several exciting updates from our growing community.

First and foremost, we are delighted to congratulate our newly elected MagNetUS leadership team: Chair-Elect Saikat Chakraborty Thakur, along with User Base Working Group Chair Sonu Yadav, Outreach & Education Working Group Chair Oak Nelson, and Annual Meeting Chair Yashika Ghai. Their dedication, energy, and vision will help guide MagNetUS into its next phase, and we look forward to working closely with them to continue strengthening our national network.

We are also excited to announce that the 2026 MagNetUS Annual Meeting will take place in sunny San Diego, California, at the AMSL Conference Center on the UC San Diego campus, from August 3–6, 2026. This year’s meeting will feature a vibrant scientific program along with unique opportunities to connect across institutions. We are planning tours of the DIII-D National Fusion Facility as well as UC San Diego plasma research facilities, offering participants a close-up look at cutting-edge experimental platforms.

As in previous years, the meeting will be complemented by two satellite events: PlasmaNET, scheduled for August 1–2, and the CHIMERAS Working Group meeting, taking place on August 6–7. Together, these events will create a full week of scientific exchange, collaboration, and community building.

In this issue, we highlight recent advances in plasma science, including a study on the bouncing and stability of laser-produced plasmas in magnetic well fields, offering new insights into plasma dynamics and confinement. We also feature a striking plasma image from the UCLA Basic Plasma Science Facility, and showcase our early-career researcher spotlight on Oak Nelson. In addition, we include a community perspective by Eva Kostadinova on the DOE Genesis Mission, discussing the critical role of human insight alongside artificial intelligence and outlining recommendations for building a more interpretable, efficient, and inclusive AI-driven research ecosystem. We continue to expand our educational efforts with a new installment in the MagNetUS webinar tutorial series on non-intrusive plasma diagnostics, and provide an update on the FLARE facility at PPPL, a next-generation platform for studying magnetic reconnection.

We look forward to welcoming many of you to San Diego this summer and to continuing the strong momentum of MagNetUS.

Thank you for being part of this community.

Dmitri Orlov

Chair, MagNetUS Executive Committee (2025–26)

University of California San Diego campus highlights - home of the 2026 MagNetUS Annual Meeting at the AMSL Conference Center. Clockwise from top left: the Jacobs School of Engineering; the iconic “Bear” sculpture by Tim Hawkinson; the AMSL Conference Center; and Geisel Library, one of UC San Diego’s most recognizable landmarks.

Highlight: Bouncing and Stability of Laser-Produced Plasmas in Magnetic Well Fields

A recent paper by Z. K. White, K. G. Xu, S. Chakraborty Thakur, and E. Thomas in Physics of Plasmas presents experimental observations of laser-produced plasmas expanding into nonuniform magnetic fields using the Magnetized Dusty Plasma Experiment (MDPX). The study focuses on the dynamics of high-energy plasma plumes interacting with magnetic well configurations and provides new insight into plasma stability and transport in strongly magnetized, nonuniform environments.

In the experiments, a pulsed Nd:YAG laser is used to generate rapidly expanding plasmas that propagate into a controlled magnetic field geometry combining a superconducting magnet and an embedded permanent magnet. High-speed gated imaging reveals a striking “bouncing” behavior of the plasma, characterized by repeated expansion and contraction cycles. These oscillations occur at frequencies of order ~10 MHz and are consistent with classical models describing the balance between plasma pressure and magnetic pressure during expansion.

A key result of this work is the observation of multiple successive bounces—significantly more than previously reported in similar systems. The measurements show that, during the early stages, the plasma radius increases with each bounce, indicating that resistive diffusion can temporarily overcome energy losses. At later times, however, instabilities and radiation losses dominate, leading to a decay of the oscillation amplitude. This transition highlights the competing roles of resistivity and instability in determining plasma evolution.

Importantly, the use of magnetic well (minimum-B) configurations with positive curvature appears to enhance plasma stability. Compared to uniform or simple mirror fields, these configurations suppress detrimental instabilities and enable longer-lived, more coherent plasma dynamics. The experiments also reveal the formation of a confined plasma region that persists on microsecond timescales—an order of magnitude longer than typical emission lifetimes in comparable systems—suggesting improved confinement due to reduced anomalous transport.

These results provide valuable experimental validation of theoretical models of plasma expansion in magnetic fields and offer important insights for applications ranging from plasma propulsion to direct energy conversion and magnetized target fusion concepts.

The full article is available at: https://pubs.aip.org/aip/pop/article/32/10/103507/3367956/Laser-produced-plasma-bouncing-in-a-nonuniform

Fast camera image of an eruptive arched magnetized plasma produced on the Solar Plasma Device at the University of California, Los Angeles. It displays a dramatic eruption of plasma jet along the ambient magnetic field (into the plane of the image). The cross-section of the jet is captured in this image. More details can be found here. (Image by Garima Joshi, BaPSF, UCLA)

Please send your images (with a short description) to orlov@magnetus.net. The recommended image format is TIF, JPG, or PNG; the minimum file width is 800 px.

Was there a particular moment, experience, or person that made you think, “This is the field for me”?

I am drawn to plasma physics, and in particular fusion energy research, because of the potential it has to make a lasting, tangible, and widespread impact on the lives of many, many people. To me, this is the most exciting part about being a scientist: I get to work on things that may transform lives! Beyond its technical promise (abundant fuel, no carbon emissions during operation, and the potential for large-scale, reliable electricity generation), fusion holds another important potential as well, which, for me, often ends up being a real motivator in day-to-day activities. This is the potential for energy justice: the physical abundance of fusion fuel introduces the possibility of a fundamentally different global energy landscape, one in which energy scarcity is significantly reduced and long-term energy security becomes more achievable for many regions.

Energy justice is concerned with how energy systems distribute both benefits and burdens across societies. Many existing energy infrastructures (particularly those based on fossil fuels) have historically imposed environmental and health costs on marginalized communities while delivering economic benefits elsewhere. I believe that fusion systems, if deployed thoughtfully, could help shift this pattern by providing large quantities of low-carbon energy without many of the pollutants associated with combustion-based power generation. In principle, this could reduce air pollution disparities, mitigate climate impacts that disproportionately affect vulnerable populations, and create opportunities for more equitable energy access.

However, energy justice does not arise automatically from a new technology. The design and deployment of fusion energy systems will require careful attention to governance, access, and infrastructure planning. One of the most exciting things about fusion is that we have the opportunity now to integrate energy justice into fusion development by considering social outcomes alongside technical milestones. This might involve policies that ensure affordable electricity, investment in regions historically burdened by energy extraction or pollution, and workforce development programs that allow communities to participate in the emerging fusion economy. By embedding these considerations early in the development of fusion energy systems, the field has an opportunity not only to transform how energy is produced, but also to reshape how its benefits are shared.

What misconception about plasma physics did you have early on that later changed?

When I was first learning about plasma physics, I assumed that most of the major challenges in plasma physics were mostly based in mathematics and theoretical physics. It seemed quite straightforward to me that once the equations were understood and particular conceptual discoveries made, that we would simply build the experiments to confirm them and thereby make very rapid progress. In reality, I know now that experiments are often the hardest part of plasma physics, especially in the context of fusion energy systems. Plasmas are complex, diagnostics are challenging, and many effects appear only in real systems. I’ve come to appreciate that experimental work often drives new understanding just as much as theory does, and that very often the real challenges that we need to solve to make fusion a reality are multi-faced and highly interdisciplinary, often necessitating advances both in physics and engineering. To me, this makes the field much more interesting and engaging! 

In a similar way, I’ve learned that science does not happen in isolation. The communities that support research, the institutions that fund it, and the broader society that ultimately benefits from it all shape the direction and priorities of scientific work. In fields like fusion energy, the stakes are especially visible because the goal is to develop technologies that could influence how energy is produced and distributed in the future. That realization has helped me appreciate that doing science is not just about solving technical problems: it also involves thinking about how knowledge is shared, how collaborations are built, and how scientific progress connects to the needs and values of the broader community.

How do you approach imposter syndrome, if you’ve experienced it?

I feel imposter syndrome each and every day. 

I think this is especially common in plasma physics since we are always working on extremely complicated concepts at the edge of what is known. It is thus very common to find yourself surrounded by people who seem to understand aspects of a problem that I do not yet fully grasp. Over time, I’ve learned that this feeling is actually a normal part of the research process. And I’ve learned that no one fully understands every aspect of these problems, and much of the work involves learning in real time as new challenges arise.

One thing that has helped me tremendously is recognizing that research is fundamentally collaborative. Progress rarely comes from a single person having all the answers; instead, it comes from groups of people bringing different expertise and perspectives to the same problem. When I realized that teams full of people that only know partial answers are stronger than those rare experts who claim to know it all themselves, I started to lean into collaborative work more and more and more, relying on others and supporting them as much as I can. 

I’ve also found it helpful to focus on the process rather than on comparisons with others. Research involves a lot of trial and error, and feeling uncertain about a problem usually means you are working on something genuinely new. Instead of interpreting that uncertainty as a sign that you don’t belong, it can be reframed as evidence that you are engaging with difficult and interesting questions. Over time, building experience helps replace that initial self-doubt with a clearer sense of where your own skills and perspective fit into the broader scientific effort.

What is something you wish you had understood earlier about how research actually works?

I wish I had understood earlier that research rarely progresses in a straight line. Experiments fail, data can be ambiguous, and sometimes the most important results come from unexpected directions. Progress often comes from persistence and iteration rather than a single breakthrough idea. And persistence can be hard! Luckily I’ve always been more fond of long-distance endurance races than 100m sprints, so my slow-twitch muscles are primed to keep pushing until I find somewhere to push some more.

Have collaborations across institutions or disciplines influenced how you think about plasma physics?

Absolutely! Plasma physics sits at the intersection of many fields: astrophysics, fusion research, fluid dynamics, and computational physics, to name just a few. And each of these is at the intersection of various topical fields, including computation, engineering, and experiment. 

One of the most enjoyable parts of working in plasma physics is the collaborative nature of the field. Physicists, engineers, computational scientists, and diagnostic specialists often approach the same problem from very different angles. Being part of those conversations can be incredibly energizing, because it means that new ideas often emerge simply from putting different perspectives together. A discussion that starts with a question about experimental data might quickly expand into ideas about new diagnostics, modeling approaches, or entirely new experimental configurations.

Collaborations across institutions add another layer of excitement. Different labs and research groups tend to develop their own techniques, tools, and ways of thinking about problems. When those groups come together, there is a real opportunity to learn from each other and combine strengths. Sometimes a collaboration forms because one group has a unique experimental facility while another has specialized diagnostics or modeling capabilities. Bringing those pieces together can make it possible to tackle questions that no single group could address on its own. It’s also rewarding to see how a shared scientific goal can connect people across universities, national laboratories, and even different countries.

On a more personal level, collaborations make the day-to-day process of research much more engaging. Science can involve long periods of troubleshooting, data analysis, and iteration, so having a community of colleagues to exchange ideas with makes a big difference. Some of the most productive moments come from informal discussions: talking through unexpected results after an experiment, sketching ideas on a whiteboard, or brainstorming new directions for a project. Those interactions not only lead to better science but also make the work itself more fun and motivating. In many ways, the collaborative aspect of plasma physics is what transforms difficult technical challenges into shared intellectual adventures. 

5th US Low Temperature Plasma Summer School

(Raleigh, North Carolina, USA, June 15 – 19, 2026)

The 5th United States Low Temperature Plasma Summer School (USLTPSS) will be held June 15-19, 2026 on the campus of North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC, USA.  The USLTPSS provides an opportunity for graduate students, post-doctoral fellows and researchers new to the low temperature plasma (LTP) field to be immersed in the fundamentals and applications of LTPs for one week and to learn from leading researchers in their field.  The topics and lecturers for the 5th USLTPSS are on the USLTPSS website (https://mipse.umich.edu/summer_school_2026.php). There will be a poster session for attendees to present their own work, and hands-on sessions in diagnostics and modeling.

As part of the US$300.00 registration fee, accommodations will be provided for students and post-doctoral scholars in university dormitories, and breakfast, lunch and several dinners will be provided.  For attendees not staying in university housing, breakfast, lunch and several dinners will be provided.  A limited amount of funding is available for travel assistance.

Attendance at the USLTPSS is limited. To apply to attend the USLTPSS, please fill out this application (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf8JHafazi-Sz0q413_tL6oe4tUb0JjX7kN26pWXPhSagVthQ/viewform).  This link is also available on the website.

Applications received by April 30, 2026 will receive full consideration. The application portal will be closed on  May 15, 2026.

Please direct questions to:

Applications: Prof. Mark J. Kushner, usltpss-central@umich.edu

Local arrangements: Prof. Katharina Stapelmann, usltpss-ncsu@ncsu.edu

Contacts:

Prof. Katharina Stapelmann, North Carolina State University, USA, kstapel@ncsu.edu 

Prof. Steven C. Shannon, North Carolina State University, USA, scshanno@ncsu.edu

Prof. Peter J. Bruggeman, University of Minnesota, USA  pbruggem@umn.edu

Prof. Mark J. Kushner, University of Michigan, USA, mjkush@umich.edu

UM Prize for Excellence in Plasma Science and Engineering 2026 - Call for Nominations

The Michigan Institute for Plasma Science and Engineering (https://mipse.umich.edu/) and the University of Michigan (UM) College of Engineering (https://www.engin.umich.edu/) have established the UM Prize for Excellence in Plasma Science and Engineering to acknowledge advances in plasma science and engineering that have or will lead to significant societal benefits. The Prize is international in scope and is awarded annually. Nominations are solicited for the Prize from the general plasma community. The area of contribution of the nominee may be in any field of plasma science and engineering.

·  This international opportunity is open to all persons who have made advances in plasma science and engineering at all stages of their career.

·  Nominees should have documented impact of their contributions that have or will lead to broad societal benefit(s). The impact of accomplishments should be commensurate with the nominee’s stage of career.

·  Nominees whose contributions are predominantly in education, public policy, government service, or industrial management are also encouraged.

The Prize recipient will receive a plaque and a $5,000 honorarium; be the featured speaker at the MIPSE Annual Symposium (https://mipse.umich.edu/symposium.php); and have his/her/their award announced at an appropriate conference or symposium.

Nominations are due April 15, 2026.  The nomination process and other details are at:  https://mipse.umich.edu/plasma_prize.php

Questions should be directed to mipse-central@umich.edu.

We continue to expand our online webinar tutorial series, aimed at bridging the gap between textbook knowledge and hands-on research practice. These tutorials are designed to be broadly accessible, with a particular focus on students, postdocs, and early-career researchers. We aim to host new sessions regularly, depending on speaker availability.

We are pleased to highlight a newly released tutorial in the series:

Plasma Diagnostics – Part 2: Non-Intrusive Methods

Speaker: Dr. Jia Han

YouTube link: https://youtu.be/bX0dCEqoIDQ

This tutorial focuses on non-intrusive plasma diagnostics, covering a wide range of optical, electromagnetic, and spectroscopic techniques. Topics include imaging, spectroscopy, bolometry, electron cyclotron emission (ECE), magnetic equilibrium reconstruction, interferometry, reflectometry, polarimetry, scattering methods, laser-induced fluorescence (LIF), and negative-ion diagnostics. The lecture provides a concise overview of the underlying physical principles behind each diagnostic and emphasizes what these methods actually measure in practice.

A key strength of this tutorial is its focus on interpretation and reliability: participants gain insight into how to assess diagnostic data, understand limitations, and apply these tools effectively in real experimental environments. The session is particularly valuable for those working with modern fusion and basic plasma science devices, where non-intrusive diagnostics play a central role.

All recordings are available on the MagNetUS YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@MagNetUSplasma

We encourage you to watch, subscribe, and share these tutorials - especially with your students!

Have an idea for a future tutorial? Want to suggest a speaker (or volunteer yourself)? Please use this form to submit ideas:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScIN0yxYlL3XGZSktiNWbQQ_UVGvTHDopDL70eRE6jxo5eKzA/viewform

We look forward to your input and hope you enjoy this growing resource!

Beyond Artificial Intelligence: The Role of Human Insight in the Genesis Mission

Researchers from the MagNetUS community have been actively involved in discussions surrounding the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Request for Information (RFI) regarding the Genesis Mission – an initiative aimed at accelerating scientific discovery through artificial intelligence (AI). Here we provide a summary of five high-level recommendations that were submitted to the RFI and discuss how the recent Genesis Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) addresses some recommendations, while neglecting others. The goal of these recommendations is to promote strategic investment in AI that is not only powerful, but also interpretable, efficient, and broadly accessible. We welcome our readers to comment on, expand, and use these recommendations in advocacy and public engagement efforts.

1.     Define a Purpose-Driven AI Strategy

A central recommendation is that DOE clearly defines the scope of AI applications relevant to Genesis. Not all scientific challenges require large-scale AI solutions, and the community stresses the importance of prioritizing interpretability, computational efficiency, and provable reliability. In fields like physics and chemistry, AI must do more than predict – it must provide insight, while preserving fundamental laws of nature. At the same time, energy-efficient AI approaches should be emphasized to align with DOE’s mission and to avoid unsustainable computational scaling.

2.     Build a Dual-Competency Workforce

To fully realize the potential of AI in R&D, new educational pathways are needed to integrate AI with traditional STEM disciplines. Universities are encouraged to develop cross-disciplinary undergraduate and graduate programs supported by DOE-funded centers and institutes. These programs would combine foundational training in mathematics and computer science with hands-on research applications, while also incorporating ethics, data literacy, and real-world experience through internships and collaborations with national laboratories and industry.

3.     Expand Access Through Open Resources and Training

Broad participation is essential for the success of AI-enabled science. The Genesis mission should promote open-sourcing data, coursework, and training materials to increase access for students and researchers across broad range of institutions, including community colleges and minority-serving institutions. In addition, flexible online certification programs and paid apprenticeships – particularly at national laboratories – should be established to help build a skilled and flexible workforce, including opportunities for career transitions and pathways for non-traditional students.

4.     Build a National Network of Regional Hubs

To scale impact, the Genesis mission should support a distributed network of regional hubs anchored by universities and national laboratories. These hubs would share curricula, data, and tools while tailoring programs to local workforce and community needs. Strong partnerships with K-12 systems, industry, and community organizations would ensure early engagement and clear pathways from education to employment. Exchange programs and collaborative research opportunities would further strengthen knowledge transfer across sectors.

5.     Leverage Existing Federal Programs

Finally, the importance of inter-agency coordination, particularly with the National Science Foundation, could not be understated. Rather than duplicating existing efforts, DOE should build on established workforce and training programs, expanding their scope to include AI, fusion energy, and quantum science. This approach would maximize efficiency, align national priorities, and accelerate the development of a robust, future-ready scientific workforce.

What is Missing from the Genesis FOA?

The Genesis mission represents a unique opportunity to shape the future of AI-driven discovery. By focusing on strategic implementation, inclusive workforce development, and national coordination, DOE can ensure that AI becomes a transformative tool across the scientific enterprise. The Genesis Mission FOA reflects meaningful alignment with several community recommendations, particularly in its emphasis on open science, shared infrastructure, and multi-institutional collaboration. Elements, such as the American Science Cloud and the Transformational AI Models Consortium, demonstrate clear progress toward a coordinated research ecosystem.

However, important gaps remain. The FOA places strong emphasis on advancing AI capabilities but does not explicitly prioritize interpretability, computational efficiency, or energy-aware approaches – key principles identified by the community as essential for scientific reliability and sustainability. In addition, workforce development is addressed only indirectly, with limited support for the kind of structured, interdisciplinary education and training programs needed to build a durable AI-enabled scientific workforce. Broader access mechanisms – such as open educational resources and pathways for participation by a wide range of institutions – are also underdeveloped. Finally, while there is evidence of coordination within DOE, the absence of explicit alignment with other federal agencies, particularly in workforce and training initiatives, suggests a missed opportunity for stronger national integration.

In conclusion, the current Genesis FOA provides funds focused on what to build in terms of AI tools and workflows. We encourage the DOE to further emphasize how to build it sustainably through people, principles, and access.

Evdokiya (Eva) Kostadinova

Auburn University

We’re always eager to highlight news, accomplishments, and perspectives from across the MagNetUS community in each issue of the newsletter. If you have any of the following, we encourage you to share them with us:

• Recent publications, preprints, or notable research results

• Student awards, fellowships, or professional recognitions

• Open job postings, internships, graduate positions, or postdoctoral opportunities

• Upcoming events, deadlines, workshops, or community initiatives

In addition, we welcome short opinion or perspective pieces on topics of interest to the MagNetUS community, including (but not limited to) workforce development, science funding, education and training, and the role of fundamental plasma science in advancing plasma technologies and applications.

Please send submissions or inquiries to orlov@magnetus.net. Your contributions help keep the MagNetUS community connected, informed, and engaged, and help showcase the breadth of work and ideas across our network.

• MagNetUS Website https://magnetus.net

• MagNetUS 2025 Annual Meeting (WVU) https://magnetus-2025.pa.ucla.edu

• Joint Call for Runtime Proposals (2025 site) http://callforruntimeproposals.org

• MagNetUS YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/@MagNetUSplasma 

• FLARE https://www.pppl.gov/FLARE 

• MPRL https://mprl.auburn.edu/

• UCLA Basic Plasma Science Facility https://plasma.physics.ucla.edu/ 

• APS DPP CPP https://sites.google.com/pppl.gov/dpp-cpp

• FESAC Long-Range Plan (2021) https://science.osti.gov/-/media/fes/fesac/pdf/2020/202012/FESAC_Report_2020_Powering_the_Future.pdf

• NASEM report https://www.nationalacademies.org/our-work/a-decadal-assessment-of-plasma-science

• DOE Basic Research Needs report https://www.pppl.gov/basic-research-needs