Virtual Pressroom 2004

Highlights

Here is a sampling of some of the topics that will be covered at the 46th annual Division of Plasma Physics meeting.

Items on this page are in Adobe PDF format — Download Adobe Acrobat Reader

• Compact Particle Beams for Science and Medicine  (372 KB)
• Plasma Window Leads to New Welding Technique (128 KB)
• Taming Plasma Bursts to Ensure Fusion Chamber Survival (837 KB)
• Progress in Direct-Drive Inertial Fusion Research (112 KB)
• X-Ray Vision for the Earth’s Most Powerful X-Ray Source (228 KB)
• New measurements link theory and experiment in fusion plasma heating (136 KB)
• Additional Papers

Public Event

Plasma Sciences Expo Open to the Public (200 KB)

Summary

Most of the matter we are familiar with in everyday life comes in three states - solid, liquid, or gas. But much more of the matter in the universe exists in a fourth state known as plasma. Plasmas are gaseous collections of electrically charged particles such as electrons and protons. Stars are primarily composed of hot plasmas. On Earth, plasmas are formed in lightning strikes and produce light in fluorescent bulbs. They are used to inscribe patterns in computer chips and other electronics, and are at the heart of the most promising nuclear fusion devices that may someday lead to an abundance of cheap, clean, and safe power sources.

The APS Division of Plasma Physics Annual Meeting is the world’s largest yearly gathering of plasma physicists, with more than 1500 attendees presenting 1425 papers covering the latest advances in plasma-based research and technology.

Contact Information

James Riordon
Head of Media Relations
American Physical Society
301-209-3238
riordon@aps.org