Center Projects
The mission of the WVU Center for KINetic Experimental, Theoretical, and Integrated Computational (KINETIC) Plasma Physics is “to collaboratively solve cutting-edge kinetic-scale physics problems in magnetized plasmas using disparate and complementary approaches.”
This includes a vast array of projects in plasma science with applications ranging from solar and space physics to fusion to industrial plasmas. Here are a few examples of projects being addressed:
- How are ions and electrons accelerated and heated at kinetic scales during magnetic reconnection?
- Is the inverse relationship between ion thermal anisotropy and the ratio of plasma pressure to magnetic pressure in laboratory plasmas consistent with predictions for wave generation via the ion cyclotron or mirror instability threshold?
- Is energy transfer from energetic electrons observed in expanding plasmas during spontaneous ion beam formation the source of the perpendicular heating of the downstream ions?
- Do the cross-field ion flows near the plasma-material surface boundary in a magnetized sheath vary with magnetic field angle of incidence as predicted?