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Plasma Theory (P) Lab
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The lab explores space and fusion plasmas through theory and simulation.
AboutAbout the lab
Exploring space and laboratory plasmas through theory.
The P Lab (Plasma Theory Lab) studies plasmas in space and in the laboratory through theoretical analysis and computer simulation.
Most of the interstellar matter filling space is in the plasma state, and plasmas are also used in fusion experiments and semiconductor processes.
From a physics perspective, the lab works to elucidate instabilities, turbulence, shock waves, explosive phenomena, and structure formation occurring in plasmas.
The lab carries out simulation research using supercomputers at institutions such as Nagoya University and the National Institute for Fusion Science.
Key terms
- Plasma
- A state in which electrons are stripped from the atoms of a gas, separating it into electrons and ions. It is electrically neutral as a whole
- Turbulence
- A state in which a flow swirls irregularly in eddies and becomes finely tangled
- Anomalous Transport
- A phenomenon in which, because of turbulence, the heat and particles of a confined plasma leak outward
NewsLab news
A paper by Professor Watanabe et al. was published in Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics
A paper by Assistant Professor Shiroto et al. was published in Plasma and Fusion Research
A paper by Assistant Professor Shiroto et al. was published in Journal of Computational Physics
A paper by Assistant Professor Shiroto et al. was published in Computer Physics Communications
A paper by Professor Watanabe et al. was published in Nuclear Fusion
ResearchResearch themes
The lab studies nonlinear phenomena such as turbulence that appear in space and fusion plasmas. In addition to analytical methods, the lab investigates them with simulations using supercomputers.
*Illustrative imageGrowth and Structural Change of Auroras
A theory that consistently explains how auroras develop into curtain shapes and form swirling structures has not yet been established. The lab builds a new simulation model that couples Earth's magnetosphere and ionosphere, and studies how auroral structures develop.
*Illustrative imageTurbulence in Five-Dimensional Phase Space
Hot plasmas in space and in fusion devices have few collisions between particles and show behavior not seen in ordinary fluids. The lab tackles this turbulence with "Vlasov simulation," which directly analyzes the distribution function in five-dimensional phase space, including velocity space.
*Illustrative imageTurbulence in Fusion Plasmas
In fusion experiments, plasmas exceeding 100 million degrees are confined by strong magnetic fields, but turbulence causes "anomalous transport," in which heat and particles leak outward. Research using large-scale simulations has shown that by making use of the flow structures that the plasma spontaneously creates, a low-transport state can be controlled with an external magnetic field.
MembersFaculty
Members of the P Lab consist of faculty, researchers, and doctoral, master's, and undergraduate students.As of 2026
- ProfessorTomohiko Watanabe
- Assistant ProfessorTakashi Shiroto
- Project Assistant ProfessorKenji Nishioka
VoicesStudent voices
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Report an errorAbout the images
The top and research theme images are illustrative and were not taken at the lab. They are cropped from Wikimedia Commons images. Cropped CC BY-SA images are provided under the same CC BY-SA license as the original (version shown on each line).
- Top image: “Cross-section of the Wendelstein 7-X plasma vessel” Siarhei Besarab / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Growth and Structural Change of Auroras: “Aurora Seen From Space by NASA” NASA -- US government agency / Public domain (cropped)
- Turbulence in Five-Dimensional Phase Space: “NASA Supercomputer Probes Tangled Magnetospheres of Merging Neutron Stars (SVS14884 - Lines Equatorial Still)” NASA's Scientific Visualization Studio - NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center/D. Skiathas et al. 2025Alt text: Equatorial view of merging neutron star magnetic fields / Public domain (cropped)
- Turbulence in Fusion Plasmas: “LHD plasma vacuum vessel” National Institute for Fusion Science / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Complexity Science Theory (ΣT) Lab): “Experimental hall of the Wendelstein 7-X stellarator at IPP Greifswald 03” Siarhei Besarab / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Space Physics Observation (SSE) Lab): “Aurora Borealis over the Killarney Provincial Park Observatory” KillarneyDiscovery / CC0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Complexity Science Experiment (ΣE) Lab): “Experimental hall of the Wendelstein 7-X stellarator at IPP Greifswald 04” Siarhei Besarab / CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)
- Related lab (Solar-Terrestrial Environment Physics (SST) Lab): “First GOES-17 SUVI Images Capture Solar Flare ( )” NOAA Satellites / Public domain (cropped)
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