WASHINGTON — Federal agencies, including the National Science Foundation (NSF), the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), the Office of Naval Research (ONR), and Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR), should better coordinate their activities in plasma science research if the United States is to remain a leader in plasma science and engineering (PSE), says a new decadal report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. As PSE overlaps with different science disciplines, federal agencies should jointly support new funding opportunities that take advantage of this interdisciplinary potential, according to the report, Plasma Science: Enabling Technology, Sustainability, Security, and Exploration.

Plasma science is the study of ionized gases and their interaction with materials. The discipline is far-reaching, and its applications are critical to many aspects of the U.S. economy and national security, including information technology, health care, and sustainable energy. The past decade alone has seen numerous advances attributed to PSE research in a range of areas, such as semiconductor processing and new particle accelerator technology. However, there has been increased competition globally due to international investments in PSE research, which challenges and may potentially usurp U.S. leadership in PSE, the report says.

“Plasma science and plasma-enabled technologies have revolutionized modern society and enabled our understanding of the fundamental processes that dominate the solar system and interstellar medium,” said Mark J. Kushner, professor in the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Department at the University of Michigan and co-chair of the committee that wrote the report. “With proper stewardship, advances in plasma science will translate to societal benefit, from predicting space weather events and developing compact particle accelerators, to improving green energy technologies, including fusion generated electricity.”

The inherently diverse and interdisciplinary nature of PSE makes for programmatic challenges in supporting the field. Mission-driven federal support that is too narrowly defined can limit interagency and interprogram collaborations, which in turn can constrain science advancements and their application to technologies. The committee recommended that federal agencies focused on plasma research jointly develop new models that support the application of fundamental research to industry. A plasma-focused program more broadly advancing engineering priorities at NSF should also be established. Possible means of increased coordination may include more interagency initiatives and the creation of an Interagency Working Group with representatives from agencies that work with PSE, including but not limited to the NSF, DOE, NASA, NOAA, and DOD.

Universities provide leadership and drive innovation, while also training the workforce, all of which require a robust PSE faculty. However, because PSE is a minority discipline in most academic departments that contain plasma-focused faculty, it is difficult to maintain critical mass in PSE faculty. This can lead to an erosion of U.S. capabilities in PSE, the report warns. Federal agencies can structure funding programs that provide leadership opportunities to university researchers in PSE while also directly stimulating the hiring of university faculty. Likewise, funding programs, particularly at undergraduate institutions, can encourage and enable access to PSE education and training from a diverse population, including women and underrepresented minorities. The report notes greater PSE participation within academia would benefit from increasing the number and variety of midscale research facilities, which typically cost in the $1 million - $40 million range.

“Federally funded programs to support education, fellowships, and early-career awards have been essential in attracting and supporting a talented and diverse population of junior scientists to the field,” said Gary Zank, director of the Center for Space Plasma and Aeronomic Research and Aerojet-Rocketdyne Chair in Space Science at the University of Alabama in Huntsville and committee co-chair. “However, recent policy changes have eliminated many of these programs in important areas of PSE.”

The DOE Office of Fusion Energy Science (FES) broadened the scope of its programs to better serve the PSE community after a recommendation in the National Academies’ 2010 Plasma Science Decadal report. The new report recommends that FES rename itself to more accurately reflect its broader mission, therefore maximizing its ability to collaborate with other agencies. A possible name could be the Office of Fusion Energy and Plasma Sciences.

The study — carried out by the Committee on A Decadal Assessment of Plasma Science — was sponsored by the National Science Foundation, U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Naval Research, and Air Force Office of Scientific Research. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine are private, nonprofit institutions that provide independent, objective analysis and advice to the nation to solve complex problems and inform public policy decisions related to science, technology, and medicine. They operate under an 1863 congressional charter to the National Academy of Sciences, signed by President Lincoln.

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