New NSF Award Advances Dusty Plasma Shockwave Research

FTPP is proud to spotlight a new NSF award supporting research led by FTPP partners at the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) and Auburn University.

UAH’s Gabe Xu, along with Saikat Thakur, has received a three-year award for the project, “Collaborative Research: Study of Laser Induced Shockwave Propagation in Dusty Plasmas.” The project will investigate how laser-induced plasma shocks propagate through dusty plasmas, building on preliminary research conducted through FTPP/ CPU2AL.

The project period will run from August 2026 through August 2029, with an awarded amount of $575,000 for UAH and $200,000 for Auburn University.

This award highlights the impact of collaborative research supported through FTPP/ CPU2AL, while advancing research in plasma physics and laser-driven plasma. FTPP congratulates Gabe Xu and collaborators on this exciting accomplishment and looks forward to witnessing the discoveries it brings.