Researchers were able to replicate how solar flares form by creating banana-sized loops of plasma in a lab. The results show that the mini flares are an excellent proxy for studying the real things.

At a June 12 ribbon-cutting event, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory unveiled a new, one-of-a-kind device that represents the next generation of research into fundamental plasma physics. The ...

The banana-size solar flares could lead to a better understanding of high-energy solar physics. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Seth Putterman started out studying the behavior of plasma for national security reasons. Extremely fast hypersonic missiles heat and ionize the surrounding air and form a cloud of charged particles ...