Professor Tünde Fülöp, of the Division of Subatomic and Plasma Physics at Chalmers University of Technology, is to be newly appointed as an editorial board member of the Journal of Plasma Physics this month. To celebrate, Prof. Fülöp participated in a Q&A with the Journal.

Journal of Plasma Physics: What originally drew you to, or excites you about, physics?

Tünde Fülöp: Originally I was simply fascinated to find the mathematical concepts I loved come to life. Later, as I learned more of the wide range of applications in science, medicine and technology, it increased my motivation to work as a physicist. My main interest, particle acceleration in plasmas, has applications from cancer therapy and lightning initiation to the improved design of fusion devices for large-scale energy. But in the day-to-day work, the “detective” part of the work excites me most, to see the story unfold and mysteries solved.

JPP: Among current research, what papers do you most look forward to reading?

TF: I get inspiration from papers that are on the borderline of two different sub-fields of physics, where concepts originally developed in one field benefit the other. I particularly like a good mystery – papers that present an intriguing question, more than the ones that give all the answers.

JPP: What are you currently working on that you’d like to tell us about?

TF: Creating and controlling beams in plasmas is the common denominator of my research. My most recent work is about kinetic modelling of runaway electrons and positrons, and laser-plasma based ion acceleration.

JPP: In which areas of plasma physics research do you expect to see growth in the next ten to twenty years?

TF: Expect a growth in the magnetic-fusion and plasma-based accelerator area. Several large-scale magnetic fusion facilities and plasma-based accelerators are currently under construction in Europe (e.g. ITER, ELI, AWAKE), so I am convinced that the coming 10 years will be very interesting for plasma physics.

JPP: What drew you to the Journal of Plasma Physics, or how will your experience and expertise impact the journal?

TF: Journal of Plasma Physics has an excellent review system, with a very active and competent editorial board. The quality of papers appearing in the journal is very high. I strongly believe in the slogan “run by active researchers for active researchers”, and I hope to use my experience and scientific network to widen the scope and make the journal more visible.

Read more from Tünde: View Journal of Plasma Physics articles authored by Prof. Fülöp