A Collaborative National Center for Fusion & Plasma Research

Fusion roadmapping

The process of mapping a path to a commercial fusion reactor by planning a sequence of future machines.

PPPL Director Stewart Prager to continue to lead the plasma physics laboratory

Stewart Prager, who has completed his first five-year term as director of the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), has agreed to continue in that position. “I was originally drawn to the prospect of leading a large laboratory and a terrific staff,” Prager said, “and to helping shape the national program in fusion and plasma physics. All those reasons still stand.”

“Stellar” progress on NSTX-U highlights strong year for PPPL, Lab Director Stewart Prager says

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) is looking forward to reopening the National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX-U) after “stellar” progress in the $94 million upgrade of the facility that should allow it to be completed by December of this year, Lab Director Stewart Prager told PPPL staff during his annual State of the Laboratory speech on April 29.

COLLOQUIUM: The Many Faces of Fusion

Dan Clery, a veteran journalist for Science magazine and author of “A Piece of the Sun,” a wide-ranging account of the quest for fusion energy, will provide a whirlwind tour of the history of fusion from the 1850s to the present day and the people who made it happen. The journey will take in atom spies, superpower summits, hijackings by Palestinian terrorists, the Red Army, South American dictators and the Iraq war.

Premiere issue of "Quest" magazine details PPPL's strides toward fusion energy and advances in plasma science

Quest Magazine Summer 2013

Welcome to the premiere issue of Quest, the annual magazine of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL). We are pleased to provide this news of our strides in advancing research into fusion energy and plasma science—two topics of vital interest to the United States and the world.

PPPL and ITER: Lab teams support the world’s largest fusion experiment with leading-edge ideas and design

Phil Heitzenroeder named winner of the 2013 Fusion Technology Award

Phil Heitzenroeder, who leads the Mechanical Engineering Division at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) and whose advice is sought by engineers around the world, has won the 2013 Fusion Technology Award. The high honor from the Nuclear and Plasma Sciences Society of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) recognizes outstanding contributions to research and development in the field of fusion technology.

PPPL partners with China in an ambitious new center for fusion research

The U.S. Department of Energy’s Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) has joined with five leading Chinese research institutions to form an international center to advance the development of fusion energy. Creators of the center organized its framework in March at a two-day session in Hefei, China, that brought together leaders of the world’s major fusion programs.

Rich Hawryluk recalls “exciting and challenging” years working on ITER

What is it like to be at the center of ITER, the huge international fusion experiment that is under construction in Cadarache, France? “It’s both exciting and challenging,” said physicist Rich Hawryluk, who recently returned to PPPL after a two-year stint as deputy director-general for the Administration Department of ITER. “It’s exciting in the scope and scale of this effort, and challenging in bringing such a large project to completion.”

PPPL Open House

Mark your calendar and prepare to have some fun at The Princeton Plasma Physics Lab's Open House on June 1 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. when the Laboratory will open its doors for the public to see the National Spherical Torus Experiment and other research experiments. Come take a self-guided tour, take part in hands-on activities, watch demonstrations. Plans also include a moon rocks display from NASA, lectures on fusion by PPPL Director Stewart Prager, a cryogenics show, firefighting demonstrations and numerous other activities as well as refreshments and give-aways.

A Challenge to America: Develop Fusion Power Within a Decade

America’s economy and security depend upon reliable sources of power. Over the next few decades, almost all of the power plants in the U.S. will need to be replaced, and America’s dependence on fossil fuels presents serious national security concerns. They sap our economy, exacerbate climate change, and constrict our foreign policy. Our newfound boom in natural gas and oil production will ease but not eliminate these underlying issues. (Forbes Leadership Forum website, 4/02/2013)