Volcanic ash modifies the height, width and lifetime of a standing shock wave that can occur during volcanic eruptions

Imagine you’re getting ready to fly to your favorite vacation destination when suddenly a volcano erupts,…

Taking new angle to enable more efficient, compact fusion power plants

Researchers at the DIII-D National Fusion Facility in San Diego have demonstrated a new approach for…

Gravity crystals: A new method for exploring the physics of white dwarf stars

Grab a mixing bowl from your kitchen, throw in a handful of aluminum balls, apply some…

New supercomputer simulations explore magnetic reconnection and make a surprising discovery

Magnetic reconnection, a process in which magnetic field lines tear and come back together, releasing large…

Taking a new tangent to control pesky waves in fusion plasmas

Fusion combines light elements in the form of plasma—”the hot, charged state of matter composed of…

A star is born: Using lasers to study how star stuff is made

On a typical day at the world’s biggest laser, the National Ignition Facility (NIF) in Livermore,…

Fuel injection helps reduce magnetic island instabilities

Fusion is a non-carbon-based process for energy production, where lighter atoms fuse into heavier ones. Fusion…

Lab-grown meat: Researchers grow muscle cells on edible fibers

Lab-grown or cultured meat could revolutionize food production, providing a greener, more sustainable, more ethical alternative…

California's crashing kelp forest

First the sea stars wasted to nothing. Then the purple urchins took over, eating and eating…

Record-number of over 200,000 galaxies confirm: Galaxy mergers ignite star bursts

When two galaxies merge, there are brief periods of stellar baby booms. A group of astronomers…