Reviews and Tutorials papers are key resources for the plasma physics community and researchers in related disciplines. Physics of Plasmas highlights these important papers within each of our ten topical collections as guides to early career and beginning scientists and to showcase the state-of-the-art in plasma physics research.

Reviews present the current status of topics of interest in plasma physics, including historical background, a critical distillation of research progress, and a summary of possible future developments. Tutorials are educational tools, at the advanced graduate-level, that help shape the new generation of researchers in plasma physics. In addition, Tutorials support researchers interested in engaging in specific topics or techniques and improving their skills in particular areas.

Each topical section of Physics of Plasmas below links to a collection of Reviews and Tutorials to help disseminate knowledge and technique to the wider community of researchers. If you are interested in submitting a review or tutorial article, please review our Author Guidelines.

Reviews and Tutorials in Basic Plasma Phenomena, Waves, and Instabilities

This topical area presents the exploration of fundamental plasma phenomena and new approaches to analyze and model plasma properties and dynamics, both theoretically and computationally. These papers advance our understanding of the plasma state of matter and bring new theories and algorithms that can build basic understanding of naturally occurring plasma and many practical applications of plasma science. Examples include basic wave-plasma dynamics, influence of kinetic distributions, and basic applications to plasma particle diagnostics and mass separation.

Reviews and Tutorials in Nonlinear Phenomena, Turbulence, and Transport

This topical section presents research on theoretical, computational, and experimental results that advance our understanding of nonlinear processes and phenomena that are ubiquitous in laboratory and space plasmas. Examples include turbulence, shocks, transport, and the mathematics of nonlinear Landau damping.

Reviews and Tutorials in Magnetically Confined Plasmas, Heating, and Confinement

Magnetically confined plasmas are studied for fusion energy applications and to better understand the fundamental behaviors of magnetized plasma surrounding stars and found in space. This topical section presents the reviews and tutorials explaining experimental, theoretical, and computational research in the creation and properties of magnetically confined plasma and features especially high temperature magnetized plasma for fusion. Examples include papers on tokamaks, stellarators, divertors, plasma heating, and self-organized improved confinement.

Reviews and Tutorials in Inertially Confined Plasmas, High-Energy Density Plasma Science, and Warm Dense Matter

This topical section presents research in the creation and properties of inertially confined and warm dense plasma, including laboratory processes relevant to many astrophysical environments and the initiation of nuclear fusion reactions when deuterium and tritium fuel is compressed and heated to over 50 million degrees. Papers describe both dense plasmas as well as the methods used in inertial confinement and other pulsed-power experiments to generate high-energy density plasma for scientific study. Examples include activities of world-class laser and pulse power facilities, detailed measurements of pulsed high-energy density plasma, and progress in understanding laboratory astrophysics and inertial fusion energy gain.

Reviews and Tutorials in Heliospheric and Astrophysical Plasmas

This topical section is host to the plasma physics, new insights, measurements, and simulations of the vast landscape of plasma the extends from the ionosphere, through the heliosphere, and outward to all types of astrophysical objects. Examples include the plasma physics of the sun, magnetospheric double-layers, particle acceleration driven by magnetic reconnection, and laboratory experiments specially-designed to reveal processes occurring in solar and astrophysical plasma.

Reviews and Tutorials in Plasma-Based Accelerators, Beams, and Radiation Generation

This topical section covers noteworthy advancements in the observation, prediction, and understanding of particle acceleration and radiation generation. Examples include high-power microwave sources and x-ray generation from intense lasers and laser-wakefield acceleration.

Reviews and Tutorials in Radiation Emission, Absorption, and Transport

This topical section includes measurements and modeling of light opacity and transport through plasma, including x-ray transmission through warm-dense plasma in stars, influences of radiation transport in shocks, and the confinement and propagation of light in ionized and filamentary gases. Examples include guiding electrical discharges and laser beams in the atmosphere, radiation transport effects and plasma source geometry, and radiation transport in dense plasmas.

Reviews and Tutorials in Low-Temperature Plasmas, Plasma Applications, Plasma Sources, and Sheaths

This topical section encompasses a wide range of low-temperature plasma physics and applications. This section is home to fundamental studies of partially ionized plasmas, including those with strong interactions with electromagnetic fields, and a variety of low-temperature plasma applications having complex physics in medicine, chemical processing, space-craft propulsion, and semiconductor processing.

Reviews and Tutorials in Dusty Plasmas

This topical section welcomes papers on so-called “dusty plasmas” formed when nanometric or micrometric (solid) particles are immersed in a plasma environment. Dusty plasmas are found in astrophysical environments and in reactive, particle-growing discharges, and they are systemically studied by deliberately adding particles to plasmas. These charged and massive dust particles form another plasma species subject to unique forces and interactions and introduce different spatial and temporal scales and strong coupling effects. Examples include dynamical properties of dusty plasma, surface erosion and dust particles dynamics, and collective processes.

Reviews and Tutorials in Numerical Methods, Verification, and Validation in Plasma Physics

This topical section includes manuscripts whose primary focus involves new numerical methods for plasma physics. These articles describe novel numerical approximations of theoretical plasma models, plasma simulations that harness the power of hardware advances, and advanced techniques for processing data from plasma experiments and simulations are welcome. Besides making an advance in the field, suitable articles demonstrate the method’s utility in plasma applications. Examples include modern data processing methods, integrate tokamak modeling, deep learning, and validation metrics.