The University of Wisconsin-Madison physics department recently completed the addition of a neutral beam injector to the Madison Symmetric Torus (MST).
The MST is a leading research tool that has been in use for more than 20 years in the field of plasma physics. The addition will allow researchers the ability to conducted further studies on the basic properties of plasmas.
Plasmas are hot gases of charged particles which play an important role in astrophysics research and other applications. Plasma TV's, microchip fabrication and the development of fusion technologies are all modern applications of plasma research.
UW-Madison researchers have already published a new study with the first effects of injecting hot plasmas with beams of uncharged particles.