US & European Universities Offering Graduate Plasma Physics Programs for Fusion

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Discussion Overview

The discussion focuses on identifying U.S. and European universities that offer strong graduate programs in Plasma Physics, particularly with applications to fusion. Participants share various institutions and programs, highlighting their strengths and competitiveness.

Discussion Character

  • Exploratory
  • Technical explanation
  • Debate/contested

Main Points Raised

  • One participant mentions Princeton's plasma laboratory but expresses concern about its competitiveness.
  • Another suggests considering engineering departments (mechanical, nuclear, electrical) for applied plasma research, noting UC San Diego and Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute as potential options.
  • A participant references an Erasmus Mundus program in Nuclear Fusion Science and Engineering Physics, providing a link for further exploration.
  • Multiple universities are listed, including MIT, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, University of Wisconsin-Madison, University of Texas at Austin, and others, with varying degrees of competitiveness mentioned.
  • Links to various university programs and resources are shared, including specific labs and research groups focused on plasma physics.
  • One participant humorously suggests considering programs in Australia for a change of scenery.
  • Another participant provides links to rankings from US News and World Report to assist in evaluating programs.

Areas of Agreement / Disagreement

Participants do not reach a consensus on which programs are the best, as opinions vary regarding competitiveness and the suitability of different universities for plasma physics and fusion studies.

Contextual Notes

Some participants express uncertainty about the current strength of specific programs, indicating that the information may be outdated or dependent on various factors.

Winzer
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What are some U.S. & European Universities that have a good graduate program for studying Plasma Physics? I am specifically interested in application to fusion.

I know Princeton has the plasma laboratory, but that might be too competitive for me.
 
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If you're looking specifically at fusion applications, you might also consider looking at the engineering departments. Specifically, mechanical, nuclear, and electrical engineering departments will sometimes house applied plasma research.

I think UC San Diego had some work in this area a few years back. Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute also has programs in this area.
 
there's a graduate program in Nuclear fusion Science and Engineering Physics.
Its an erasmus mundus program. check it out
http://www.em-master-fusion.org/index.asp
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Winzer said:
What are some U.S. & European Universities that have a good graduate program for studying Plasma Physics? I am specifically interested in application to fusion.

I know Princeton has the plasma laboratory, but that might be too competitive for me.
There's MIT's program, but that's probably competitive like the one at Princeton
http://www.psfc.mit.edu/
http://web.mit.edu/space/www/ - space plasmas

The Plasma Theory and Simulation Group
ptsg.eecs.berkeley.edu

Nuclear, Plasma, and Radiological Engineering | Engineering at Illinois | University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
http://npre.illinois.edu/ - not sure how strong it is at the moment

University of Wisconsin - Madison - Plasmas and Fusion Technology
sprott.physics.wisc.edu/FUSION.HTM
sprott.physics.wisc.edu/theory/home.htm
Plasma Physics Group
plasma.physics.wisc.edu/
http://plasma.physics.wisc.edu/mst/html/mst.htm

Plasma, Pulsed Power, and Microwave Laboratory Homepage!
U Michigan - http://www-ners.engin.umich.edu/labs/plasma/

Institute of Fusion Studies - U. of Texas, Austin
http://hagar.ph.utexas.edu/ifs/

Columbia University Plasma Physics Lab
www.apam.columbia.edu/apam/plasma/plasmaintro.html[/URL]

The University of Iowa - Department of Physics and Astronomy
[url]www.physics.uiowa.edu/graduate/plasma.html[/url]
[url]www.physics.uiowa.edu/[/url]

Plasma Sciences Laboratory (PSL) at Auburn U
[url]http://narn.physics.auburn.edu/[/url]

Stanford Plasma Physics Laboratory - SPPL
[url]http://www.stanford.edu/group/pdl/[/url]

Plasma Physics group @ West Virginia University
ulysses.phys.wvu.edu/~plasma/

Institute for Plasma Research - University of Maryland, USA (actually one I considered 27 years ago).
[url]http://www.ireap.umd.edu/[/url]


The UK and EU have programs

If you feel like a change of hemispheres :biggrin:
APP - Applied and Plasma Physics, University of Sydney, Australia
[url]www.physics.usyd.edu.au/app/[/url]



[url]http://www.plasmas.org/plasma-physics.htm[/url]
 
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