This is a list of physicists who have worked in or made notable contributions to the field of plasma physics. {, class="wikitable sortable" , - ! Name !! Known for , - ,

Hannes Alfvén Hannes Olof Gösta Alfvén (; 30 May 1908 – 2 April 1995) was a Swedish electrical engineer, plasma physicist and winner of the 1970 Nobel Prize in Physics for his work on magnetohydrodynamics (MHD). He described the class of MHD waves now ...

, , 1970

Nobel Prize in Physics ) , image = Nobel Prize.png , alt = A golden medallion with an embossed image of a bearded man facing left in profile. To the left of the man is the text "ALFR•" then "NOBEL", and on the right, the text (smaller) "NAT•" then " ...

"''for fundamental work and discoveries in magneto-hydrodynamics with fruitful applications in different parts of plasma physics''" , - ,

Irving Langmuir Irving Langmuir (; January 31, 1881 – August 16, 1957) was an American chemist, physicist, and engineer. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1932 for his work in surface chemistry. Langmuir's most famous publication is the 1919 art ...

, , coined the term "plasma" to hint at the lifelike behavior of this state of matter. Developed electron temperature concepts and an electrostatic probe, the

Langmuir probe A Langmuir probe is a device used to determine the electron temperature, electron density, and electric potential of a plasma. It works by inserting one or more electrodes into a plasma, with a constant or time-varying electric potential between ...

. , - , Ksenia Aleksandrovna Razumova , , first stable plasmas in tokamaks, first experimental measurement of plasma energy with diamagnetic loop, disruption studies, confinement studies, pioneering female leader of Russian fusion research, Alfvén Prize 2017 , - , Anatoly Vlasov , , first suggested the

Vlasov equation The Vlasov equation is a differential equation describing time evolution of the Distribution function (physics), distribution function of plasma (physics), plasma consisting of charged particles with long-range interaction, e.g. Coulomb's law, Coulo ...

, a correct description of plasma with long-range interaction between particles , - , Andrey Dmitriyevich Sakharov , , proposed the development of the tokamak device for use in controlled thermonuclear fusion. , - , Boris B. Kadomtsev , , early plasma turbulence theory, stability and nonlinear theory of MHD and kinetic instabilities. James Clerk Maxwell Prize for Plasma Physics (1998) , - ,

Katherine Weimer Katherine Ella Mounce Weimer (April 15, 1919 – April 23, 2000) was a research physicist at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory at the Princeton University. She is known for her scientific research in the field of plasma magnetohydrodynamic ...

, , scientific research in the field of plasma magnetohydrodynamic equilibrium and stability theory , - , Yu Lin , , computational research in nonlinear physics in the boundary layers of space plasmas, Katherine Weimer Award (2002). , - , Elena Belova , , numerical contributions to the fundamental physics of magnetically confined plasmas, Katherine Weimer Award (2005). , - , Lin Yin , , research on instabilities and magnetic reconnection in space plasmas and of the physics of relativistic laser-plasma interactions through complex modeling, Katherine Weimer Award (2008). , - , Yuan Ping , , pioneering experiments to explore the interaction of high-intensity laser light with matter, Katherine Weimer Award (2011). , - , Anne White , , fundamental contributions to the understanding of turbulent transport in tokamaks, Katherine Weimer Award (2014). , - ,

Félicie Albert Félicie Albert is a French-born American physicist working on laser plasma accelerators. She is the deputy director for the Center for High Energy Density Science at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and staff scientist at the National Igni ...

, , pioneering development and characterization of x-ray sources from laser-wakefield accelerators, Katherine Weimer Award (2017). , - , Maria Gatu Johnson , , significant contributions to Inertial fusion sciences and pioneering work in Stellar Nucleosynthesis through nuclear measurements, Katherine Weimer Award (2019). , - , Kristian Birkeland, , First suggested that polar electric currents (or auroral electrojets) are connected to a system of filaments (now called " Birkeland currents") that flow along geomagnetic field lines into and away from the polar region. , - , Lev Landau, , Landau damping , - , Meghnad Saha, ,

Saha ionization equation In physics, the Saha ionization equation is an expression that relates the ionization state of a gas in thermal equilibrium to the temperature and pressure. The equation is a result of combining ideas of quantum mechanics and statistical mechanics ...

, - , Sydney Chapman , , development of the

kinetic theory of gases Kinetic (Ancient Greek: κίνησις “kinesis”, movement or to move) may refer to: * Kinetic theory, describing a gas as particles in random motion * Kinetic energy, the energy of an object that it possesses due to its motion Art and enter ...

, - , Vitaly Ginzburg , , theory of

electromagnetic wave In physics, electromagnetic radiation (EMR) consists of waves of the electromagnetic (EM) field, which propagate through space and carry momentum and electromagnetic radiant energy. It includes radio waves, microwaves, infrared, (visib ...

propagation in plasmas , - ,

Vitaly Shafranov Vitaly Dmitrievich Shafranov (russian: Виталий Дмитриевич Шафранов; December 1, 1929 – June 9, 2014) was a Russian theoretical physicist and Academician who worked with plasma physics and thermonuclear fusion research. ...

, , theoretical contributions to plasma physics (e.g.

Grad–Shafranov equation The Grad–Shafranov equation ( H. Grad and H. Rubin (1958); Vitalii Dmitrievich Shafranov (1966)) is the equilibrium equation in ideal magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) for a two dimensional plasma, for example the axisymmetric toroidal plasma in a tokam ...

Kruskal–Shafranov instability A kink instability (also kink oscillation or kink mode), is a Electric current, current-driven Plasma stability#Plasma instabilities, plasma instability characterized by transverse displacements of a plasma column's cross-section from its center o ...

) , - ,

Willard Harrison Bennett Willard Harrison Bennett (June 13, 1903 – September 28, 1987) was an American scientist and inventor, born in Findlay, Ohio. Bennett conducted research into plasma physics, astrophysics, geophysics, surface physics, and physical chemistry. ...

, , Z-pinch is a form of "

Bennett pinch A pinch (or: Bennett pinch (after Willard Harrison Bennett), electromagnetic pinch, magnetic pinch, pinch effect, or plasma pinch.) is the compression of an electrically conducting Electrical filament, filament by magnetic forces, or a device tha ...

". Also invented radio frequency

mass spectrometry Mass spectrometry (MS) is an analytical technique that is used to measure the mass-to-charge ratio of ions. The results are presented as a ''mass spectrum'', a plot of intensity as a function of the mass-to-charge ratio. Mass spectrometry is use ...

. , - , Lyman Spitzer, , theoretical contributions to plasma physics, Spitzer resistivity, director of Project Matterhorn (1951-1961), James Clerk Maxwell Prize for Plasma Physics (1975) , - ,

Marshall Rosenbluth Marshall Nicholas Rosenbluth (5 February 1927 – 28 September 2003) was an American plasma physicist and member of the National Academy of Sciences, and member of the American Philosophical Society. In 1997 he was awarded the National Medal of ...

, , fundamental theoretical contributions plasma physics, and in particular,

plasma instabilities The stability of a plasma is an important consideration in the study of plasma physics. When a system containing a plasma is at equilibrium, it is possible for certain parts of the plasma to be disturbed by small perturbative forces acting on it ...

, James Clerk Maxwell Prize for Plasma Physics (1976) , - ,

John M. Dawson John Myrick Dawson (30 September 1930 in Champaign, Illinois – 17 November 2001 in Los Angeles) was an American computational physicist and the father of plasma-based acceleration techniques. Dawson earned his degrees in physics from t ...

, , introduced the use of computer simulation to plasma physics, James Clerk Maxwell Prize for Plasma Physics (1977) , - ,

Richard F. Post Richard Freeman Post (November 14, 1918 – April 7, 2015) was an American physicist notable for his work in nuclear fusion, plasma physics, magnetic mirrors, magnetic levitation, magnetic bearing design and direct energy conversion. Post was a w ...

, , developed the magnetic mirror concept for magnetic confinement fusion, James Clerk Maxwell Prize for Plasma Physics (1978) , - , Tihiro Ohkawa, , developed the doublet approach for toroidal confinement fusion, James Clerk Maxwell Prize for Plasma Physics (1979) , - ,

Thomas H. Stix Thomas Howard Stix (July 12, 1924 – April 16, 2001) was an American physicist. Stix performed seminal work in plasma physics and wrote the first mathematical treatment of the field in 1962's ''The Theory of Plasma Waves''. History Born in S ...

, , developed the doublet approach for toroidal confinement fusion, James Clerk Maxwell Prize for Plasma Physics (1980) , - , John H. Nuckolls, , introduced the inertial confinement approach to fusion, James Clerk Maxwell Prize for Plasma Physics (1981) , - ,

Ira B. Bernstein Ira Borah Bernstein (born November 8, 1924) is an American theoretical physicist specializing in plasma physics. He was the first person to formulate the theory of electrostatic waves propagating in a magnetized plasma in 1958, which are now co ...

, , fundamental theoretical contributions plasma physics including a wave mode in his name, James Clerk Maxwell Prize for Plasma Physics (1982) , - ,

Harold Fürth Harold Paul Furth (January 13, 1930 – February 21, 2002) was an Austrian-American physicist who was a pioneer in leading the American efforts to harness thermonuclear fusion for the generation of electricity. He died of a heart ailment on 21 Fe ...

, , fundamental contributions to plasma physics including resistive instabilities, Director of Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (1981-1990), James Clerk Maxwell Prize for Plasma Physics (1983) , - ,

Donald W. Kerst Donald William Kerst (November 1, 1911 – August 19, 1993) was an American physicist who worked on advanced particle accelerator concepts (accelerator physics) and plasma physics. He is most notable for his development of the betatron, a novel ...

, , invention of the levitated toroidal multipole, James Clerk Maxwell Prize for Plasma Physics (1984) , - , John H. Malmberg, , experimental demonstration of Landau damping and development of pure electron plasmas, James Clerk Maxwell Prize for Plasma Physics (1985) , - , Harold Grad, , theoretical contributions to magnetohydrodynamics, James Clerk Maxwell Prize for Plasma Physics (1986) , - ,

Bruno Coppi Bruno Coppi (born 19 November 1935 in Gonzaga, Lombardy, Italy) is an Italian-American physicist specializing in plasma physics. In 1959, Coppi attained an Italian doctoral degree at Polytechnic University of Milan and was subsequently a docent ...

, , pioneering work in the conceptual and engineering design of high field tokamaks, James Clerk Maxwell Prize for Plasma Physics (1987) , - ,

Norman Rostoker Norman Rostoker (August 16, 1925 – December 25, 2014) was a Canadian plasma physicist known for being a pioneer in developing clean plasma-based fusion energy. He co-founded TAE Technologies (formerly known as Tri Alpha Energy) in 1998 and hel ...

, , pioneering theoretical contributions to the statistical mechanics of particles with Coulomb interactions, James Clerk Maxwell Prize for Plasma Physics (1988) , - , Ravindra Sudan, , pioneered the study of the generation and propagation of intense ion beams, James Clerk Maxwell Prize for Plasma Physics (1989) , - , William L. Kruer, , seminal contributions to the theoretical and experimental understanding of the intense electromagnetic waves with plasmas, James Clerk Maxwell Prize for Plasma Physics (1990) , - , Hans R. Griem, , contributions to plasma spectroscopy and spectral line broadening in plasmas, James Clerk Maxwell Prize for Plasma Physics (1991) , - ,

John M. Greene John Morgan Greene (22 September 1928 – 22 October 2007) was an American theoretical physicist and applied mathematician, known for his work on solitons and plasma physics. Education After several successes as a high school student in the state m ...

, , contributions to theory of magnetohydrodynamic equilibria and ideal and resistive instabilities, James Clerk Maxwell Prize for Plasma Physics (1992) , - , Russell M. Kulsrud, , pioneering contributions to basic plasma theory, including magnetic reconnection, James Clerk Maxwell Prize for Plasma Physics (1993) , - ,

Roy W. Gould Roy Walter Gould (April 25, 1927 – February 19, 2022) was an American electrical engineer and physicist who specialized in plasma physics. In 1959, he (together with Alvin Trivelpiece) was the first to describe electrostatic waves that were pr ...

, , pioneering research in beam-plasma interactions, James Clerk Maxwell Prize for Plasma Physics (1994) , - , Francis F. Chen, , pioneering works on electrostatic probes, the plasma physics textbook "''Introduction to Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion"'' James Clerk Maxwell Prize for Plasma Physics (1995) , - , Thomas M. O'Neil, , seminal contributions to plasma theory, including extension of Landau damping to the nonlinear regime James Clerk Maxwell Prize for Plasma Physics (1996) , - ,

Charles F. Kennel Charles F. Kennel (born August 20, 1939) is an American plasma physicist and former Associate Administrator of NASA. He is an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences and won the James Clerk Maxwell Prize for Plasma Physics in 1997. In ...

, , fundamental contributions to the basic plasma physics of collisionless shocks James Clerk Maxwell Prize for Plasma Physics (1997) , - ,

John Bryan Taylor John Bryan Taylor (born 26 December 1928) is a British physicist known for his contributions to plasma physics and their application in the field of fusion energy. Notable among these is the development of the "Taylor state", describing a minim ...

, , helicity conservation, bootstrap current, ballooning transformation, plasma theory James Clerk Maxwell Prize for Plasma Physics (1999) , - ,

Akira Hasegawa is a theoretical physicist and engineer who has worked in the US and Japan. He is known for his work in the derivation of the Hasegawa–Mima equation, which describes fundamental plasma turbulence and the consequent generation of zonal flow tha ...

, , theories of nonlinear drift wave turbulence, including the Hasegawa-Mima equation James Clerk Maxwell Prize for Plasma Physics (2000) , - , Roald Sagdeev, , contributions to modern plasma theory including collisionless shocks and stochastic magnetic fields James Clerk Maxwell Prize for Plasma Physics (2001) , - ,

Edward A. Frieman Edward Allan Frieman (January 19, 1926 – April 11, 2013) was an American physicist who worked on plasma physics and nuclear fusion. He was the director of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography from 1986 through 1996, and then the senior vice ...

, , theory of magnetically confined plasmas, including fundamental work on the formulation of the MHD Energy Principle James Clerk Maxwell Prize for Plasma Physics (2002) , - , Eugene N. Parker, , seminal contributions in plasma astrophysics, including predicting the solar wind, explaining the solar dynamo, and formulating the theory of magnetic reconnection James Clerk Maxwell Prize for Plasma Physics (2003) , - , Noah Hershkowitz, , fundamental contributions to the physics of low temperature plasmas James Clerk Maxwell Prize for Plasma Physics (2004) , - , Valery Godyak, , fundamental contributions to the physics of low temperature plasmas James Clerk Maxwell Prize for Plasma Physics (2004) , - , Nathaniel Fisch, , theoretical development of efficient rf-driven current in plasmas James Clerk Maxwell Prize for Plasma Physics (2005) , - , Chandrashekhar J. Joshi, , application of plasma concepts to high energy electron and positron acceleration James Clerk Maxwell Prize for Plasma Physics (2006) , - , John Lindl, , contributions in high energy density physics and inertial confinement fusion research James Clerk Maxwell Prize for Plasma Physics (2007) , - ,

Ronald C. Davidson Ronald Crosby Davidson (3 July 1941 – 19 May 2016) was a Canadian physicist, professor, and scientific administrator who worked in the United States. He served as the first director of the MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center from 1978 to 1988, ...

, , pioneering contributions to the physics of one-component non-neutral plasmas, first director of

MIT Plasma Science and Fusion Center The Plasma Science and Fusion Center (PSFC) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a university research center for the study of Plasma (physics), plasmas, Nuclear fusion, fusion science and technology. It was originally founded i ...

(1991-1996), director of Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (1991-1996), James Clerk Maxwell Prize for Plasma Physics (2008) , - , Maxim G. Ponomare

, pioneering investigations of disturbances of all plasma species by modeling charged particle emissions from imaginary and additional sources:. Imaginary-emission method for modeling disturbances of all magnetoplasma species: Reflecting and absorbing objects in motion through a rarefied plasma at different angles to the ambient magnetic field (Phys. Rev. E 54, 5591 – Published 1 November 1996)

and First suggested the Resonant Moments method for Enhanced acceleration of electrons populations by crossing electron cyclotron waves in an ambient magnetic fiel

, - , Miklos Porkolab, , pioneering investigations of linear and nonlinear plasma waves and wave-particle interactions James Clerk Maxwell Prize for Plasma Physics (2009) , - , James Drake, , theory of the fundamental mechanism of fast reconnection of magnetic fields in plasmas James Clerk Maxwell Prize for Plasma Physics (2010) , - , Gregor Eugen Morfill, , discovery of plasma crystals as a solid state of aggregation of dusty plasmas (1994). Former Director of

Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics The Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics is a Max Planck Institute, located in Garching, near Munich, Germany. In 1991 the Max Planck Institute for Physics and Astrophysics split up into the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Ph ...

, James Clerk Maxwell Prize for Plasma Physics (2011) , - , Liu Chen, , recipient of numerous awards for research on plasma physics (e.g. John Dawson Prize (2004),

Hannes Alfvén Prize The Hannes Alfvén Prize is a prize established by the European Physical Society (EPS) Plasma Physics Division in 2000. The Prize is awarded annually by the European Physical Society at the EPS Conference on Plasma Physics for outstanding work in t ...

(2008) and James Clerk Maxwell Prize for Plasma Physics (2012)) , - , Phillip A. Sprangle, , pioneering contributions to the physics of high intensity laser interactions with plasmas James Clerk Maxwell Prize for Plasma Physics (2013) , - , Clifford Surko, , invention of and development of techniques to accumulate, confine, and utilize positron plasmas James Clerk Maxwell Prize for Plasma Physics (2014) , - , Masaaki Yamada, , fundamental experimental studies of magnetic reconnection relevant to space, astrophysical and fusion plasmas James Clerk Maxwell Prize for Plasma Physics (2015) , - , Ellen G. Zweibel, , seminal research on the energetics, stability, and dynamics of astrophysical plasmas James Clerk Maxwell Prize for Plasma Physics (2016) , - , Dmitri Ryutov, , contributions to the theoretical plasma physics of low and high energy density plasmas James Clerk Maxwell Prize for Plasma Physics (2017) , - , Keith H. Burrell, , established the links between sheared plasma flow and turbulent transport James Clerk Maxwell Prize for Plasma Physics (2018) , - , William H. Matthaeus, , pioneering research into the nature of turbulence in space and astrophysical plasmas James Clerk Maxwell Prize for Plasma Physics (2019) , - , Warren Bicknell Mori, , pioneering contributions to the theory and kinetic simulations of nonlinear processes in plasma-based acceleration James Clerk Maxwell Prize for Plasma Physics (2020) , - , Melvin Gottlieb, , responsible for building

Princeton Large Torus The Princeton Large Torus (or PLT), was an early tokamak built at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL). It was one of the first large scale tokamak machines, and among the most powerful in terms of current and magnetic fields. Originally ...

and

Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor The Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR) was an experimental tokamak built at Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) circa 1980 and entering service in 1982. TFTR was designed with the explicit goal of reaching scientific breakeven, the point wh ...

at PPPL, director of Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (1961-1980) , - ,

Robert J. Goldston Robert James Goldston (born May 6, 1950) is a professor of astrophysics at Princeton University and a former director of the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory. Early life and education Goldston was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1950, the son of Eli ...

, , empirical scaling relationship for the confinement of energy in tokamak plasmas, director of Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (1997-2008) , - , Stewart C. Prager, , director of the

Madison Symmetric Torus The Madison Symmetric Torus (MST) is a reversed field pinch (RFP) physics experiment with applications to both fusion energy research and astrophysical plasmas. MST is located at the Center for Magnetic Self Organization (CMSO) at the Universit ...

(MST) experiment, director of Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (2008-2016) , - ,

Sir Steven Cowley Sir Steven Charles Cowley (born 1959) is a British theoretical physicist and international authority on nuclear fusion and Plasma physics, astrophysical plasmas. He has served as director of the United States Department of Energy (DOE) Princeto ...

, , pioneering research in astrophysical and turbulent plasmas, director of Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (2018–present) , - , Friedrich Wagner , , discovery of H-mode in ASDEX in 1984 , - ,

Anthony Peratt Anthony L. Peratt is an American physicist whose most notable achievements have been in plasma discharge petroglyphs, plasma physics, nuclear fusion and the monitoring of nuclear weapons. Education Peratt was a graduate student of Nobel Prize ...

, , influential advocate of

plasma cosmology Plasma cosmology is a non-standard cosmology whose central postulate is that the dynamics of ionized gases and plasmas play important, if not dominant, roles in the physics of the universe at interstellar and intergalactic scales. recount: It ...

, - , David Bohm , , derived the

Bohm sheath criterion The Debye sheath (also electrostatic sheath) is a layer in a plasma (physics), plasma which has a greater density of positive ions, and hence an overall excess positive charge, that balances an opposite negative charge on the surface of a material w ...

, which states that a

plasma Plasma or plasm may refer to: Science * Plasma (physics), one of the four fundamental states of matter * Plasma (mineral), a green translucent silica mineral * Quark–gluon plasma, a state of matter in quantum chromodynamics Biology * Blood pla ...

must flow with at least the speed of sound toward a solid surface , - ,

Eric Lerner Eric J. Lerner (born May 31, 1947) is an American popular science writer, and independent plasma researcher. He wrote the 1991 book ''The Big Bang Never Happened'', which advocates Hannes Alfvén's plasma cosmology instead of the Big Bang theory. ...

, , pioneer of

focus fusion A dense plasma focus (DPF) is a type of plasma (physics), plasma generating system originally developed as a fusion power device starting in the early 1960s. The system demonstrated scaling laws that suggested it would not be useful in the commerci ...

and advocate of

, - , Forrest S. Mozer , , electric field measurements in space plasma , - ,

Fran Bošnjaković Fran Bošnjaković (1902–1993) was a noted Croatian thermodynamicist considered to be one of the pioneers in the development of technical thermodynamics. Bošnjaković was born in Zagreb, where he was initially educated. He continued his educa ...

, , , - ,

Franklin Chang-Diaz Franklin may refer to: People * Franklin (given name) * Franklin (surname) * Franklin (class), a member of a historical English social class Places Australia * Franklin, Tasmania, a township * Division of Franklin, federal electoral divi ...

, , created the

Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket The Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket (VASIMR) is an electrothermal thruster under development for possible use in spacecraft propulsion. It uses radio waves to ionization, ionize and heat an chemically inert, inert rocket propellan ...

(VASIMR) concept, an electromagnetic thruster for spacecraft propulsion , - ,

Friedrich Paschen Louis Carl Heinrich Friedrich Paschen (22 January 1865 - 25 February 1947), was a German physicist, known for his work on electrical discharges. He is also known for the Paschen series, a series of hydrogen spectral lines in the infrared region t ...

, , Paschen's law, an equation relating the breakdown voltage to the gas pressure and electrode gap length , - , Ghulam Murtaza , , , - ,

Mounir Laroussi Mounir Laroussi (born August 9, 1955) is a Tunisian-American scientist. He is known for his work in plasma science, especially low temperature plasmas and their biomedical applications. Biography Early life Mounir Laroussi was born and rais ...

, ,

Plasma pencil The plasma pencil is a dielectric tube where two disk-shaped electrodes of about the same diameter as the tube are inserted, and are separated by a small gap. Each of the two electrodes is made of a thin copper ring attached to the surface of a c ...

, seminal contributions to the biomedical applications of low temperature plasma,

plasma medicine Plasma medicine is an emerging field that combines plasma physics, life sciences and clinical medicine. It is being studied in disinfection, healing, and cancer. Most of the research is in vitro and in animal models. It uses ionized gas (physic ...

, - , Nam Chang-hee, , , - , Li Jiangang , , , - ,

Harold P. Eubank Harold Porter Eubank (23 October 1924 – 23 March 2006, in Kilmarnock, Virginia) was an American physicist, specializing in magnetic fusion energy research. Eubank grew up in rural Virginia and then in WW II served in the U.S. Army, receiving a B ...

, , , - , Oscar Buneman , , computational plasma physics and plasma simulation,

Farley–Buneman instability The Farley–Buneman instability, or FB instability, is a microscopic plasma instability named after Donald T. Farley and Oscar Buneman. It is similar to the ionospheric Rayleigh-Taylor instability. It occurs in collisional plasma with neutral ...

, - ,

Peter Debye Peter Joseph William Debye (; ; March 24, 1884 – November 2, 1966) was a Dutch-American physicist and physical chemist, and Nobel laureate in Chemistry. Biography Early life Born Petrus Josephus Wilhelmus Debije in Maastricht, Netherlands, D ...

, , Nobel Prize–winning physicist and chemist, after whom

Debye shielding The debye (symbol: D) (; ) is a CGS unit (a non- SI metric unit) of electric dipole momentTwo equal and opposite charges separated by some distance constitute an electric dipole. This dipole possesses an electric dipole moment whose value is give ...

and Debye length are named , - , Philo Farnsworth , , invention of the

cathode ray tube A cathode-ray tube (CRT) is a vacuum tube containing one or more electron guns, which emit electron beams that are manipulated to display images on a phosphorescent screen. The images may represent electrical waveforms ( oscilloscope), pictu ...

television Television, sometimes shortened to TV, is a telecommunication medium for transmitting moving images and sound. The term can refer to a television set, or the medium of television transmission. Television is a mass medium for advertisin ...

and Farnsworth-Hirsch Fusor , - , Predhiman Krishnan Kaw, , founding director of the

Institute for Plasma Research The Institute for Plasma Research (IPR) is an autonomous physics research institute in India. The institute is involved in research in aspects of plasma science including basic plasma physics, research on magnetically confined hot plasmas and ...

(1986-2012) , - ,

Radu Bălescu Radu Bălescu (Bucharest, 18 July 1932 – 1 June 2006, Bucharest) was a Romanian and Belgian (since 1959) scientist and professor at the ''Statistical and Plasma Physics'' group of the Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB). He studied at the Tit ...

, , recipient of the

in 2000 , - ,

Ratko Janev Ratko Janev ( mk, Ратко Jанев) (March 30, 1939 – December 31, 2019) was a Yugoslav and Serbian atomic physicist and Macedonian academician. Biography Janev was born on March 30, 1939 in Sveti Vrach, Bulgaria. During his youth he mov ...

, , , - ,

Rudolf Seeliger Rudolf Seeliger (12 November 1886 – 20 January 1965) was a German physicist who specialized in electric discharges in gases and plasma physics. From 1906 to 1909, Seeliger studied at the University of Tübingen and the University of Heidelberg ...

, , specialized in electric discharges in gases and plasma physics , - ,

Subrata Roy Subrata Roy (born 10 June 1948) is an Indian businessman who founded Sahara India Pariwar in 1978. Sahara India Pariwar has operated a vast number of businesses such as Aamby Valley City, Sahara Movie Studios, Air Sahara, hockey sport ...

, , invention of the

Wingless Electromagnetic Air Vehicle The Wingless Electromagnetic Air Vehicle (WEAV) is a heavier than air flight system developed at the University of Florida, funded by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research. The WEAV was invented in 2006 by Dr. Subrata Roy, plasma physicis ...

and

serpentine geometry plasma actuator The serpentine plasma actuator represents a broad class of plasma actuator. The actuators vary from the standard type in that their electrode geometry has been modified in to be periodic across its span. History This class of plasma actuators wa ...

, - ,

Shaukat Hameed Khan Shaukat Hameed Khan (Urdu: شوکت حمید خان; born 4 September 1941) , is a Pakistani optical physicist and a visiting professor of physics at the Comsats University in Islamabad. Khan is known for his understanding in spark gap and plasm ...

, , laser isotope separation, Chief Science Officer of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (1969-2005) , - , William Crookes , , pioneer of

vacuum tube A vacuum tube, electron tube, valve (British usage), or tube (North America), is a device that controls electric current flow in a high vacuum between electrodes to which an electric voltage, potential difference has been applied. The type kn ...

s and the Crookes tube , - ,

A A Mamun Abdullah Al Mamun (born 31 December 1966) is a Bangladeshi physicist who is a professor of physics at Jahangirnagar University, Dhaka, Bangladesh.. Early life and education A A Mamun (son of Darbesh Ali and Rizia Ali) was born in Dhamrai Upaz ...

, , pioneer of nonlinear dynamics of dusty plasma physics, Friedrich Wilhelm Bessel Research Award in 2009 from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation , -

See also