Research
The U.S. Department of Energy's Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory is dedicated to developing fusion as a clean and abundant source of energy and to advancing the frontiers of plasma science. The Laboratory pursues these goals through experiments and computer simulations of the behavior of plasma, the hot electrically charged gas that fuels fusion reactions and has a wide range of practical applications.
Fusion powers the sun and stars. The process takes place when the atomic nuclei—or ions—in hot, electrically charged plasma fuse and release a burst of energy. PPPL studies how to recreate this process in the laboratory by heating plasma to tens of millions of degrees Celsius and confining it in powerful magnetic fields.
The PPPL Theory Department helps to provide the scientific foundation for harnessing fusion energy. The Department creates computer programs that simulate the plasma inside magnetic fusion facilities and can be used to predict how the plasma will behave under different conditions.
PPPL conducts a host of varied projects in physics and engineering representing the cutting edge in science and technology.
Publications
PPPL scientists author technical reports, conference papers, book chapters, and peer-reviewed journal articles on research performed under U.S. Department of Energy contract. Published products are submitted to the Department of Energy's Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI) in accordance with DOE Order 241.1B for public access.
Engineering at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
Engineers at PPPL play a key role in its mission to explore plasma science and develop fusion as an attractive energy source for the future. They work in close collaboration with world-class physicists, applying the art of engineering to the solution of challenging scientific problems. In fact, plasma physics and fusion research are at the forefront of science and technology, and the development of fusion as an attractive energy source is viewed as one of the grand challenges of the 21st century.
Program in Plasma Science and Technology
The Program in Plasma Science and Technology (PPST) is part of the School of Engineering and Applied Science (SEAS). It is sponsored by the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) and provides interdisciplinary support to graduate student research in plasma science and technology and their impact on society. The PPST offers a summer internship program for undergraduates.
Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory is a U.S. Department of Energy national laboratory managed by Princeton University.
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Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
P.O. Box 451
Princeton, NJ 08543-0451
GPS: 100 Stellarator Road
Princeton, NJ, 08540
(609) 243-2000
