Harnessing plasma’s potential to provide near-limitless energy
Merging plasma physics and engineering for fusion applications
Unraveling the behavior of the fourth state of matter
Understanding and counteracting plasma’s effects on materials
Studying plasma’s reactions to extreme conditions
Drawing practical solutions from lab science
University of Nairobi, Kenya, B.S., Mathematics (1971)
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Ph.D., Physics (1977)
Theoretical: electromagnetic wave propagation; wave scattering; nonlinear dynamics; wave-particle interactions in plasmas.
Magnetic Fusion: Heating, current drive, and transport induced by radio frequency waves (ion cyclotron, lower hybrid, and electron cyclotron) in toroidal fusion devices. Scattering of radio frequency waves by plasma fluctuations. Propagation and damping of electromagnetic waves in plasmas. Parametric wave processes in the plasma edge.
Inertial Confinement Fusion: Laser-plasma interactions, nonlinear evolution of plasma waves, wave-particle interactions.
Space and Astrophysical Plasmas: Diffusion of magnetic field lines and charged particles in three-dimensional force-free magnetic fields, transport of particles in chaotic magnetic fields, nonlinear acceleration of ionospheric ions by waves, and propagation of waves in density cavities.
Nonlinear Plasma Physics: Coherent and chaotic dynamics of charged particles induced by electromagnetic waves, characterization of particle diffusion and the evolution of particle distribution function.