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The Paul Trap Experiment at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory is trying to determine the properties of intense charge particle beams as they travel through transport systems. But PTSX, measuring only three meters in length -- much shorter than a typical particle accelerator -- uses some interesting physics to simulate the conditions in an accelerator.

The formation process of stars and planets remains one of the big questions in astrophysical science. Currently, scientists do not understand the required conditions and the accretion, or matter collection process, involved in star and planet formation. But the Magnetorotaional Instability (MRI) experiment now operational at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory may shed light on this mystery.

The US Department of Energy's (USDOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) has awarded two subcontracts for the fabrication of major components for the National Compact Stellarator Experiment (NCSX), now under construction at the Laboratory. NCSX will explore the physics of an innovative concept for fusion energy production and will advance the understanding of the related basic science. PPPL is building the new experiment in partnership with the USDOE's Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee.

Nathaniel Fisch, a Princeton University professor and a scientist at the U.S. Department of Energy's Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), is among seven winners of the 2004 E.O. Lawrence Award. Each winner receives a gold medal, a citation, and $50,000. The award is given in categories for outstanding contributions in the field of atomic energy, broadly defined.

The U.S. Department of Energy announced today that the U.S. project office for ITER, a major international fusion experiment, will be located at Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL). PPPL, in partnership with DOE's Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), will be responsible for overseeing the U.S. ITER Project Office and providing it with the requisite staffing and facilities.

At the U.S. Department of Energy's Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), a team is conducting a small-scale research project studying plasma sterilization. This method, if successful, could be used to sterilize food and beverage containers, leading to an enormous savings - potentially hundreds of millions of dollars annually for a large soft drink manufacturer.

Hundreds of billions of plastic food and beverage containers are manufactured each year in the U.S. All of these packages must undergo sterilization, which at present is done using high temperatures or chemicals. Both of these methods have drawbacks. What if a new method could be found that eliminated the need for chemicals or heat-resistant plastics?

John DeLooper, Associate Director of External Affairs at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), recently received the Department's Distinguished Associate Award. DeLooper was honored for his "valuable coordination of countless education outreach activities and special events."

John Krommes and Robert Parsells, researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), are this year's PPPL Distinguished Research and Engineering Fellows, respectively. Earlier this month, the two were honored during a ceremony and reception at the Laboratory.

Stan Kaye, a physicist at the U.S. Department of Energy's Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), was recently named a Fellow by the American Physical Society (APS). Kaye received the honor during the APS-Division of Plasma Physics meeting in November in Orlando, Florida.