This research will consist of experiments, theory, and simulation on a broad range of fundamental processes in plasmas, and will emphasize problems for which precise experimental tests of theory can be obtained. The experiments will be performed on two well-instrumented non-neutral plasma apparatuses: a laser-diagnosed ion apparatus which can "tag" ions and follow their subsequent motion; and a camera-diagnosed electron apparatus. Theory work will focus on long-range collisions between particles, where a newly-discovered "collisional caging" effect gives enhanced particle slowing-down rates and enhanced cross-field transport. Characterization of collisions in correlated plasmas will also continue, especially in regard to the "dynamical screening" controversy in stellar fusion.
This research program makes strong interdisciplinary connections across fields of physics, contributing to and drawing from atomic physics, statistical physics, fluid physics and plasma physics. For example, the electron experiments and theory have provided insight into vortices in large-scale atmospheric flows, and recent results on "chaotic" particle transport relate directly to fusion plasmas in toroidal geometry. The "rotating wall" technique for infinite-time containment was developed at UCSD, and is now used widely, especially for expensive particles such as anti-matter. Moreover, the strong, iterative interaction between theory and experiment provides an exceptionally rich environment for training undergraduate and graduate students.
