Kaye, a principal research physicist at PPPL, was cited for his pioneering investigation of the characteristics of strongly heated plasmas confined by magnetic fields. Plasma is a hot, ionized gas used as the fuel for the production of fusion energy. Kaye's work serves as the foundation for predictions of plasma performance in magnetic fusion energy devices such as tokamaks. The honor is a lifetime appointment. The APS rules limit the maximum number of Fellows selected each year to be no more than half of one percent of the Division membership.
Kaye, who heads the National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX) Physics Analysis Division at PPPL, received a bachelor's degree in physics and math from Hamilton College in Clinton, New York, a master's degree in geophysics and space physics from the University of Washington in Seattle, and a Ph.D. in space plasma physics from the University of California at Los Angeles. He joined the staff at PPPL in 1980, and has worked on several experiments at the Lab. He is a resident of West Windsor Township.
"Stan is a veteran in physics analysis of fusion plasmas and has made crucial contributions to the NSTX Project and Program since its inception and in its research program. This is a well deserved and timely honor," said NSTX Program Head Martin Peng.
Added NSTX Project Head Masa Ono, "Stan became internationally well known due to his seminal work in the area of plasma confinement behavior in strongly heated tokamak plasmas, which is one of the central research topics on magnetic fusion research today. For NSTX since 1992, as the head of the NSTX physics team, Stan played a pivotal role by leading a team of physicists and engineers to formulate the NSTX physics requirements and the predictions of its performance, based on his broad knowledge in tokamak physics. His work helped to set a solid foundation on which NSTX is designed and built, and from which the research plan is conceived."
PPPL, which is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy and managed by Princeton University, is a collaborative national center for science and innovation leading to an attractive fusion energy source. Fusion is the process that powers the sun and the stars. In the interior of stars, matter is converted into energy by the fusion, or joining, of the nuclei of light atoms to form heavier elements.