This is a list of physicists who have worked in or made notable contributions to the field of plasma physics. Name Known for Recognitiondevelopment and characterization of x-ray sources from laser-wakefield acceleratorsmagneto-hydrodynamicsNobel Prize (1970)Alfvén Prize (2000)numerical contributions to the fundamental physics of magnetically confined plasmassimulations of transport and turbulence in strongly rotating plasmasAPS Fellow (2024)Z-pinch is a form of "Bennett pinch". Also invented radio frequency mass spectrometry.fundamental theoretical contributions plasma physics including a wave mode in his nameMaxwell Prize (1982)First suggested that polar electric currents (or auroral electrojets) are connected to a system of filaments (now called "Birkeland currents") that flow along geomagnetic field lines into and away from the polar region.derived the Bohm sheath criterion, which states that a plasma must flow with at least the speed of sound toward a solid surfaceCOMPASS CASTOR tokamak, GOLEM tokamakcomputational plasma physics and plasma simulation, Farley–Buneman instabilityestablished the links between sheared plasma flow and turbulent transportMaxwell Prize (2018)created the Variable Specific Impulse Magnetoplasma Rocket (VASIMR) concept, an electromagnetic thruster for spacecraft propulsionrelativistic laser-matter interactions using femtosecond PW lasersAPS Fellow (2008)developed kinetic theory of gases and applied it to study the magnetosphereelectrostatic probes, textbookMaxwell Prize (1995)design of high field tokamaksMaxwell Prize (1987)astrophysical and turbulent plasmasvacuum tubes and the Crookes tubeone-component non-neutral plasmasMaxwell Prize (2008)introduced the use of computer simulation to plasma physicsMaxwell Prize (1977)Debye shielding and Debye lengthNobel Prize (1936)theory of the fundamental mechanism of fast reconnection of magnetic fields in plasmasMaxwell Prize (2010)co-led the Spheromak projectmagnetic fusion energy researchAPS Fellow (1975)invention of the cathode-ray tube, television and Farnsworth-Hirsch Fusortheoretical development of efficient rf-driven current in plasmastheory of magnetically confined plasmas, including fundamental work on the formulation of the MHD Energy PrincipleMaxwell Prize (2002)resistive instabilitiesMaxwell Prize (1983)theory of electromagnetic wave propagation in plasmasfundamental contributions to the physics of low temperature plasmasMaxwell Prize (2004)empirical scaling relationship for the confinement of energy in tokamak plasmasAPS Fellow (1987)responsible for building Princeton Large Torus and Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor at PPPLbeam-plasma interactionsMaxwell Prize (1994)theoretical contributions to magnetohydrodynamicsMaxwell Prize (1986)contributions to theory of magnetohydrodynamic equilibria and ideal and resistive instabilitiesMaxwell Prize (1992)contributions to plasma spectroscopy and spectral line broadening in plasmasMaxwell Prize (1991)theories of nonlinear drift wave turbulence, including the Hasegawa-Mima equationfundamental contributions to the physics of low temperature plasmasMaxwell Prize (2004)hohlraum design for inertial confinement fusionAPS Fellow (2025)nuclear processes in low-temperature plasmasMacedonian Academy of Sciences and Artsinteraction of solar plasma with the Earth's magnetosphere and radiation beltsWeimer Award (2023)HT-7 tokomakChinese Academy of Engineeringinertial fusion science stellar nucleosynthesisapplication of plasma concepts to high energy electron and positron accelerationearly plasma turbulence theory, stability and nonlinear theory of MHD and kinetic instabilitiesMaxwell Prize (1998)founding director of Institute for Plasma Researchfundamental contributions to the basic plasma physics of collisionless shocksMaxwell Prize (1997)invention of the levitated toroidal multipoleMaxwell Prize (1984)laser isotope separation, Chief Science Officer of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (1969-2005)studies of Alfven waves and auroraeAPS Fellow (2022)hohlraum design, first laboratory burning and igniting fusion plasmaAPS Fellow (2022)theoretical and experimental understanding of intense electromagnetic waves with plasmasMaxwell Prize (1990)plasma theory including magnetic reconnectionMaxwell Prize (1993)Landau dampingNobel Prize (1962)coined the term "plasma" to hint at the lifelike behavior of this state of matter. Developed electron temperature concepts and an electrostatic probe, the Langmuir probe.Nobel Prize (1932)Plasma pencil, biomedical applications of low temperature plasma, plasma medicineAPS Fellow (2023)focus fusion and plasma cosmologycontributions in high energy density physics and inertial confinement fusion researchMaxwell Prize (2007)computational research in nonlinear physics in the boundary layers of space plasmasWeimer Award (2002)experimental demonstration of Landau damping and development of pure electron plasmasMaxwell Prize (1985)nonlinear dynamics of dusty plasma physicsFriedrich Wilhelm Bessel Research Award (2009)turbulence in space and astrophysical plasmasMaxwell Prize (2019)particle transport in tokamaksAPS Fellow (2025)plasma crystals as a solid state of aggregation of dusty plasmasMaxwell Prize (2011)theory and kinetic simulations of nonlinear processes in plasma-based accelerationMaxwell Prize (2020)electric field measurements in space plasmaAPS Fellow (1977)theory of ionized plasmasintroduced the inertial confinement approach to fusionMaxwell Prize (1981)plasma theory, including extension of Landau damping to the nonlinear regimeMaxwell Prize (1996)developed the doublet approach for toroidal confinement fusionMaxwell Prize (1979)plasma astrophysics, including predicting the solar wind, explaining the solar dynamo, and formulating the theory of magnetic reconnectionPaschen's law, an equation relating the breakdown voltage to the gas pressure and electrode gap lengthinfluential advocate of plasma cosmologyinertial confinement fusion, Raman amplification of lasers in plasma Maxim G. Ponomarev pioneering investigations of disturbances of all plasma species by modeling charged particle emissions from imaginary and additional sources:. Imaginary-emission method for modeling disturbances of all magnetoplasma species: Reflecting and absorbing objects in motion through a rarefied plasma at different angles to the ambient magnetic field (Phys. Rev. E 54, 5591 – Published 1 November 1996) linear and nonlinear plasma waves and wave-particle interactionsdeveloped the magnetic mirror concept for magnetic confinement fusionMaxwell Prize (1978)energy transfer in magneto-fluid turbulenceAlfvén Prize (2020)stable plasmas in tokamaks, experimental measurement of plasma energyAlfvén Prize (2017)laser-plasma interactionsAPS Fellow (2023)fundamental theoretical contributions plasma physics, and in particular, plasma instabilitiesstatistical mechanics of particles with Coulomb interactionsMaxwell Prize (1988)Wingless Electromagnetic Air Vehicle and serpentine geometry plasma actuatortheory of low and high energy density plasmasMaxwell Prize (2017)theory of collisionless shocks and stochastic magnetic fieldsMaxwell Prize (2001)Saha ionization equationproposed development of tokamakselectric discharges in gases and plasma physicsGrad–Shafranov equation, Kruskal–Shafranov instability)Alfvén Prize (2001)Spitzer resistivity, Project MatterhornMaxwell Prize (1975)high intensity laser interactions with plasmasMaxwell Prize (2013)doublet approach for toroidal confinement fusionMaxwell Prize (1980)generation and propagation of intense ion beamsMaxwell Prize (1989)developer of numerical simulations for plasma physicsAPS Fellow (2004)invention of and development of techniques to accumulate, confine, and utilize positron plasmasMaxwell Prize (2014)helicity conservation, bootstrap current, ballooning transformation, plasma theorydynamics of charged particles and plasma in the Van Allen radiation beltWeimer Award (2021)Vlasov equation models plasma with long-range interaction between particlesdiscovery of H-mode in ASDEX in 1984Alfvén Prize (2007)plasma magnetohydrodynamic equilibrium and stability theoryturbulent transport in tokamaksWeimer Award (2014)experimental studies of magnetic reconnection relevant to space, astrophysical and fusion plasmasMaxwell Prize (2015)laser-plasma interactionsWeimer Award (2008)energetics, stability, and dynamics of astrophysical plasmasMaxwell Prize (2016)