Germany’s prestigious Max Planck Society (MPG) is working to increase its international presence through the formation of virtual centers around the world. The latest, formalized on 29 March, is the Max Planck Princeton Research Center for Plasma Physics, with Princeton University, the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), and three Max Planck institutes as partners.
The new center will focus on fusion plasma physics and plasma astrophysics. The main topics of collaborative research will be magnetic reconnection, plasma turbulence, energetic particles in plasmas, and rotating plasmas. “In each of the four topics,” says PPPL director Stewart Prager, “there are major physics conundrums. We are in the process of planning which questions will be the most fruitful to attack.”
In addition to the plasma physics center, a collaboration with researchers in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, focuses on quantum materials, and two centers in Pohang, South Korea, address the areas of attosecond science...
