Pierre Gourdain
University of Rochester, NY·Physics
Turbulence, the chaotic swirling of a fluid, shows up in stars, galaxies and the space between them. In space, magnetic and electric fields link distant regions, so turbulent flows can stay organized across distances of light-years.
- Fields
Physics
Engineering
Astronomy & Astrophysics
- Topics
plasma physics
plasma turbulence
magnetohydrodynamics
- Grants
- 1 known grant, through Jul 2027
What they work on
- Measure the magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) turbulent spectrum, how energy is spread among eddies of different sizes, down to the viscous scale in a magnetized plasma made in the HADES pulsed power facility.
- Correlate turbulent eddies across multiple size scales in high energy density plasma, using laser interferometry that maps plasma density together with imaging diagnostics.
- Evaluate whether magnetic fields extend the range of turbulent scales in laboratory plasma, mimicking how long-range electromagnetic forces keep astrophysical flows cohesive.
- Provide data to validate MHD turbulence models and estimate turbulence-driven anomalous heat conduction, magnetic field diffusion and the stability of high-Reynolds-number flows.
More about the research
This project asks how plasma turbulence behaves across many size scales at once, from large eddies down to the smallest scales where friction (viscosity) takes over. A plasma is a hot, electrically charged gas. The answer matters for predicting how heat, magnetic fields and momentum move through plasmas, both in space and in laboratory devices.
Why it matters
Better models of how turbulence moves heat and magnetic fields through plasmas could inform fusion energy development, nuclear stockpile stewardship and advanced propulsion systems. The measurements will also give astrophysicists and space physicists laboratory data for checking theories of turbulent flows in space.
Known grants
From NIH and NSF research grants. Labs often have other funding we can't see.
Closest labs
Yuan Shi
University of Colorado Boulder, CO·Physics
Test the hypothesis that a strong magnetic field suppresses energy transfer between parallel-polarized crossing laser beams while enabling transfer between perpendicular-polarized beams, using experiments at the OMEGA Laser Facility.
Peter Delamere
University of Alaska Fairbanks, AK·Physics
Compare how plasma is transported outward at Jupiter and Saturn and inward at Earth, focusing on the shared region where the magnetic field changes from a dipole shape to a stretched shape.
Peter Constantin
Princeton University, NJ·Mathematics & Statistics
Develop a new mathematical analysis of radiative kinetics, the equations describing how radiation affects plasma dynamics, as a new direction in applied analysis.
The school
University of Rochester: 38 labs on PI Pages, $492M a year on research, 308 research doctorates a year.
Reach out
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