When the plasma physics community gathers for its biggest annual event, the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) shows up in force. This year's American Physical Society Division of Plasma Physics (APS DPP) meeting in Long Beach, California, featured the Lab's researchers at every level, from a tutorial session setting the stage for emerging science to dozens of presentations unveiling cutting-edge discoveries. More than 130 staff, students and researchers from the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Lab attended, delivering one tutorial, eight invited talks, over 30 oral presentations and nearly 60 poster presentations.
"The sheer breadth and impact of research presented by PPPL scientists across theory, experiment and computation demonstrates how our Lab is leading the way to a fusion energy future," said Laboratory Director Steve Cowley. "I am immensely proud of our scientists, students and staff for putting PPPL at the forefront of plasma physics discoveries."
Luis Delgado-Aparicio shares his expertise on fusion diagnostics
PPPL's Head of Advanced Projects Luis Delgado-Aparicio delivered a tutorial talk at the annual APS DPP meeting on the advanced X-ray cameras his team has developed over the past two decades to study fusion plasmas. These innovative instruments can distinguish among different energy levels of X-ray light emitted from inside fusion devices, providing unprecedented insights that conventional diagnostic tools cannot measure with comparable precision.
Now deployed at fusion facilities around the world, these cameras provide real-time data that help researchers better control the extreme conditions required for fusion reactions. By training scientists from across the country to use these state-of-the-art diagnostics and interpret their results, Delgado-Aparicio's tutorial aims to accelerate innovation in measurement techniques while advancing progress toward the development of sustainable fusion energy.
"These X-ray cameras are giving the fusion community a whole new set of eyes to see what has been hidden for decades," said Delgado-Aparicio. "With them, researchers can uncover - in real time - phenomena in their own machines that could advance the entire field. That's why sharing this technology is so exciting. Every new deployment could bring breakthroughs that move us closer to commercial fusion energy."
VIDEO: What are diagnostics?
Building the next generation of fusion researchers through community engagement
Shannon Swilley Greco, senior program leader for public engagement and workforce development, also provided important information to the plasma physics community by presenting her work on the Plasma Network for Engagement and Training (NET). Swilley Greco helps lead the initiative, which provides practical resources through workshops, online forums and an online repository of educational materials. These activities connect scientists, science communicators, education researchers and formal educators working to build public understanding of fusion energy.
Swilley Greco's Plasma NET presentation focused on two recent workshops: one on science trust and another on program evaluation.
"The main point of these evaluation workshops is to get people thinking about setting clear goals for public engagement and workforce development and then measuring outcomes to ensure resources are going toward effective, impactful programming," Swilley Greco said.
Swilley Greco's participation in the meeting also involved local outreach. She visited schools in Long Beach, California, with members of DPP and the Contemporary Physics Education Project to give demos and discuss careers in science, and she co-hosted a discussion between DPP members and local teens at the Aquarium of the Pacific. Finally, she supported the meeting's professional development day by showing teachers how they can bring plasma into the classroom.
Laura Berzak Hopkins named APS DPP fellow
The PPPL community also celebrated Laura Berzak Hopkins, associate laboratory director for strategy and partnerships and deputy chief research officer, who was named a 2025 fellow of APS DPP. The fellowship citation recognizes her "pioneering the development of innovative, low gas-filled hohlraums and diamond capsules to enable high-gain inertial fusion" work, which significantly advanced inertial confinement fusion research.
"The grand challenge of fusion is truly inspirational," Berzak Hopkins said. "I'm grateful for the opportunity to dedicate my energy to this mission, and I'm deeply honored to be recognized in this way."
Berzak Hopkins joins an elite group of scientists whose work has shaped the future direction of plasma physics. A leader both at PPPL and in the international fusion community, her research and leadership have energized collaborations among experimentalists and theorists, driving new approaches to achieving fusion ignition. She is also noted for her mentorship and commitment to developing the next generation of plasma scientists.
"Her recognition as an APS fellow is a testament to both her technical accomplishments and her efforts to foster an engaging and vibrant scientific community," Cowley said.
Stephen Jardin receives 2025 Davidson Award
PPPL Senior Scientist Stephen Jardin was officially awarded the prestigious 2025 Ronald C. Davidson Award for Plasma Physics from AIP Publishing's Physics of Plasmas during the meeting. The award recognizes a 2020 paper that challenged prevailing theories about a minor disruption in fusion plasmas known as the sawtooth instability. Using advanced simulations, Jardin and his team determined that plasma pressure, rather than electrical current, was the primary driver of the instability.
"Winning this award is extremely gratifying to me because I had known Ron Davidson for a long time, and I really admired him, so it was extra special to get an award named after him," Jardin said. Davidson was a pioneering plasma physicist and prolific academic who served as the Lab's director from 1991 to 1996.
"Steve's paper provides a new and compelling understanding of the famous sawtooth instability," said Physics of Plasmas Editor-in-Chief Michael Mauel, who made the call to Jardin letting him know he won the award on Jardin's last day before retirement, after working more than 50 years. "The new understanding is consistent with experimental observations, demonstrates the power of modern scientific computing and helps in the plans for upcoming fusion energy experiments."
Jardin's co-authors on the paper were Isabel Krebs, his former graduate student, then a postdoc with the Dutch Institute for Fundamental Energy Research, and Jardin's former graduate student Nate Ferraro, who is now the deputy head of PPPL's Theory Department.
