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A new way of classifying magnetized plasma has led to the discovery of 10 previously unknown topological phases of plasma.
Knowing more about these phases, and in particular the transitions between them, could help plasma physicists chase the white whale out of energy – plasma fusion. This is because the transitions between them support edge modes, or waves at the intersection of plasma surfaces.
These exotic excitations could expand the potential practical uses of magnetized plasma.
“These findings could lead to possible applications of these exotic excitations in space and laboratory plasmas,” said physicist Yichen Fu of the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL).
“The next step is to explore what these excitations could do and how they could be used.”
Recent research has started to look at the plasma topologically, that is, to study the shape of the waves inside.
However, the topological phases in cold magnetized plasma, and the transitions between them, have not been fully explored. This is important because it can help us understand how the plasma interacts with itself.
Diagram of topological phases. (Fu & Qin, Nature Communications, 2021)
Fu and his colleague, PPPL physicist Hong Qin, sought to mathematically describe the topological phases of a cold plasma in a uniform magnetic field. They found 10 different new phases, separated by edge modes – the boundary between two topologically different regions in plasma. Numerical studies have verified the results of the pair.
“The discovery of the 10 phases in plasma marks a primary development in plasma physics,” said Qin.
“The first and foremost step in any scientific endeavor is to classify the objects under study. Any new classification system will lead to an improvement in our theoretical understanding and subsequent technological advancements.”
What these advances might be is not speculated in the document, but there are some interesting possibilities. Plasma is often referred to as the fourth state of matter, a gas in which electrons have been removed from atoms, forming ionized material.
It is abundant in space – in fact, it is the state of matter found in stars that is the key to potential plasma technology.
Deep within their plasma nuclei, stars merge nuclei to form heavier elements, a process that generates large amounts of energy. Scientists have been working on plasma fusion here on Earth as a form of energy production that will be clean and virtually unlimited.
As you can imagine, this is extremely difficult. We need to be able to maintain a stable plasma at temperatures higher than the Sun long enough to generate and extract energy. There are a lot of obstacles, so we’re quite a long way from that goal – but a better understanding of plasma can only bring us closer.
This research represents a step in this direction.
“The most important advancement in the article is to examine plasma based on its topological properties and identify its topological phases,” Fu said.
“On the basis of these phases, we identify the necessary and sufficient condition[s] for the excitations of these localized waves. As to how these advancements can be applied to facilitate fusion energy research, we need to find out. “
The research was published in Nature Communication.
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