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Research facility · Princeton · United States

Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory

In research, Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory stands highest in Physical Sciences (#2,179 of 12,888 worldwide), Engineering (#2,846 of 6,636 worldwide) and Astronomy and Astrophysics (#206 of 443 worldwide), 2022–2025. Relative to its size it is most specialised in Nuclear and High Energy Physics, Astronomy and Astrophysics and Physics and Astronomy — Nuclear and High Energy Physics is 82.0× its share of world research.

pppl.govROR OpenAlex
World rank, 2022–2025
#3,854
of 28,054 · #1,576 all time
Rank in United States
#542
of 4,192
Research works
5k
▼ 10% vs 2013–17
Citations
130k
26.0 per fractional work
Top-10% rate
39.4%
record average 16.5%
Open access
33%
world 28%

What is Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory known for in research?

The fields where it stands highest, 2022–2025, ranked among every institution above the floor in each field.

FieldWorld rankWhere that sitsTop-10% rateWorksAll time
Physical SciencesDomain #2,179 of 12,888 40.2%396 #1059
EngineeringField #2,846 of 6,636 33.6%103 #968
Astronomy and AstrophysicsSubfield #206 of 443 47.8%69 #252
Physics and AstronomyField #798 of 1,646 46.8%214 #566
Nuclear and High Energy PhysicsSubfield #130 of 263 50.5%107 #119

Each strip is that field’s whole ranked pool, with the notch where Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory sits in it, in the colour of the band that rank falls in. The track under the rate is the rate itself: it carries no world mark, because the world rate differs by field (from about 6% to 21% in this record).

Which of those standings moved

The same fields on both windows: where it stood over the whole record, and where it stands in 2022–2025. The distance is the story, and it is the one thing the two rank columns above cannot show.

  1. Physical Sciences#1,059 #2,179
  2. Engineering#968 #2,846
  3. Astronomy and Astrophysics#252 #206
  4. Physics and Astronomy#566 #798
  5. Nuclear and High Energy Physics#119 #130
all time2022–2025, better2022–2025, worse

A dot further right is a better standing. Fields it was not ranked in over the whole record are left out.

What does Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory specialise in?

Where its research is concentrated relative to its size: Nuclear and High Energy Physics takes 82.0× the share of its output that it takes of world research.

  1. Nuclear and High Energy PhysicsSubfield · 106.7 works82×
  2. Astronomy and AstrophysicsSubfield · 69.3 works32×
  3. Physics and AstronomyField · 214.0 works23×
  4. Materials ChemistrySubfield · 44.9 works5.5×
  5. Aerospace EngineeringSubfield · 26.2 works5.4×
← less than its size predicts1×more →

Location quotient, a volume reading rather than an impact one. It surfaces small, lopsided specialities.

Field profile

Location quotient across every field it publishes in: outside the ring is more than an institution of this size would be expected to publish, inside it is less.

Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology: 0.24× its world share, 5 worksBiochemistry, Geneti…Neuroscience: 0.10× its world share, 1 worksNeuroscienceChemical Engineering: 1.57× its world share, 2 worksChemical EngineeringChemistry: 0.51× its world share, 3 worksChemistryComputer Science: 0.31× its world share, 10 worksComputer ScienceEarth and Planetary Sciences: 1.16× its world share, 8 worksEarth and Planetary …Energy: 0.24× its world share, 1 worksEnergyEngineering: 1.66× its world share, 103 worksEngineeringEnvironmental Science: 0.15× its world share, 3 worksEnvironmental ScienceMaterials Science: 3.38× its world share, 49 worksMaterials ScienceMathematics: 0.73× its world share, 4 worksMathematicsPhysics and Astronomy: 23.26× its world share, 214 worksPhysics and AstronomyMedicine: 0.11× its world share, 9 worksMedicineNursing: 0.05× its world share, 0 worksNursingArts and Humanities: 0.03× its world share, 0 worksArts and HumanitiesDecision Sciences: 0.27× its world share, 1 worksDecision SciencesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance: 0.01× its world share, 0 worksEconomics, Econometr…Psychology: 0.03× its world share, 0 worksPsychologySocial Sciences: 0.01× its world share, 1 worksSocial Sciences1×world share
more than its size predictsabout as predictedless

Rings at 0.5×, 1× and 2×. Widest outward: Physics and Astronomy, 23.3×. Every wedge is a field page.

Who are the top researchers at Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory?

Ranked on the composite score, J. M. Greene, C.H. Skinner and P. H. Rutherford lead among researchers whose main affiliation is Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory.

  1. 1 J. M. Greene United States · #6,956 worldwide 1.2k citations · 57 works
  2. 2 C.H. Skinner United States · #15,940 worldwide 686 citations · 64 works
  3. 3 P. H. Rutherford United States · #22,063 worldwide 372 citations · 42 works
  4. 4 G. W. Hammett United States · #29,042 worldwide 634 citations · 72 works
  5. 5 R.J. Goldston United States · #44,874 worldwide 507 citations · 86 works
  6. 6 F. W. Perkins United States · #47,130 worldwide 372 citations · 45 works
  7. 7 R. Hülse United States · #58,845 worldwide 704 citations · 27 works
  8. 8 R. B. White United States · #60,573 worldwide 539 citations · 112 works
  9. 9 S. D. Scott United States · #63,226 worldwide 618 citations · 69 works
  10. 10 M. S. Chance United States · #80,973 worldwide 278 citations · 37 works
All ranked researchers at Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory

Which keywords describe research at Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory?

By fractional works in 2022–2025, weighted toward what it does more of than the world: Turbulence, Tokamak, Transport, Solar Wind, Electron Acceleration, Ionosphere, Magnetosphere and Molecular Dynamics Simulations.

▲ more of its work than of the world’s◆ about the world’s share▼ less than the world’s

Size is fractional works in 2022–2025 in the topics tagged with each word; colour is the word's share of this institution's work against its share of the world's. The 40 words are chosen for being large and distinctive. Each links to the topic it comes from most.

All 40 words, with their numbers
  1. Turbulence83▲ 231×4 topics
  2. Tokamak81▲ 914×1 topic
  3. Transport81▲ 615×1 topic
  4. Solar Wind49▲ 128×2 topics
  5. Electron Acceleration37▲ 131×2 topics
  6. Ionosphere36▲ 154×1 topic
  7. Magnetosphere36▲ 154×1 topic
  8. Molecular Dynamics Simulations29▲ 162×2 topics
  9. fusion materials28▲ 374×1 topic
  10. radiation damage28▲ 374×1 topic
  11. Critical Current Density19▲ 179×2 topics
  12. Electron Beams18▲ 255×1 topic
  13. Laser-Plasma Accelerators18▲ 255×1 topic
  14. Nb3Sn Conductor18▲ 231×1 topic
  15. Superconducting Magnets18▲ 231×1 topic
  16. Negative Ion Sources17▲ 227×1 topic
  17. Plasma Etching17▲ 190×1 topic
  18. Semiconductor Industry17▲ 190×1 topic
  19. Superconducting Cavities17▲ 227×1 topic
  20. Coronal Mass Ejections14▲ 89×1 topic
  21. Solar Dynamics Observatory14▲ 89×1 topic
  22. Biomedical Applications11▲ 2.2×4 topics
  23. Spectroscopy9▲ 14×6 topics
  24. Gravitational Waves7▲ 32×2 topics
  25. Space Exploration7▲ 40×2 topics
  26. Material Analysis7▲ 84×1 topic
  27. Plasma7▲ 81×1 topic
  28. Tomography7▲ 9.4×4 topics
  29. Molten Salt7▲ 50×1 topic
  30. Nuclear Reactor7▲ 50×1 topic
  31. Electronic Structure Calculations6▲ 22×2 topics
  32. Atmospheric Pressure Plasmas5▲ 68×1 topic
  33. Plasma Medicine5▲ 68×1 topic
  34. Density Functional Theory5▲ 12×3 topics
  35. Black Holes5▲ 13×3 topics
  36. Cuprate Superconductors5▲ 35×1 topic
  37. Dusty Plasmas5▲ 204×1 topic
  38. High-Temperature Superconductivity5▲ 35×1 topic
  39. Quantum Plasma Physics5▲ 204×1 topic
  40. Accretion Disks5▲ 25×2 topics

Which research topics does Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory publish most on?

By volume in 2022–2025: Magnetic confinement fusion research, Ionosphere and magnetosphere dynamics, Fusion materials and technologies and Laser-Plasma Interactions and Diagnostics.

Magnetic confinement fus…81Magnetic confinement fusion research: 81 fractional worksIonosphere and magnetosp…36Ionosphere and magnetosphere dynamics: 36 fractional worksFusion materials and tec…28Fusion materials and technologies: 28 fractional worksLaser-Plasma Interactions and Diagnostics: 18 fractional worksSuperconducting Materials and Applications: 18 fractional worksParticle accelerators an…17Particle accelerators and beam dynamics: 17 fractional worksPlasma Diagnostics and Applications: 17 fractional worksSolar and Space Plasma Dynamics: 14 fractional worksLaser-induced spectroscopy and plasma: 7 fractional worksNuclear reactor physics and engineering: 7 fractional works
Nuclear and High Energy PhysicsAstronomy and AstrophysicsMaterials ChemistryBiomedical Engineering3 others

Area is fractional works; colour is the subfield each topic belongs to.

  1. 1 Magnetic confinement fusion research Nuclear and High Energy Physics 81 works
  2. 2 Ionosphere and magnetosphere dynamics Astronomy and Astrophysics 36 works
  3. 3 Fusion materials and technologies Materials Chemistry 28 works
  4. 4 Laser-Plasma Interactions and Diagnostics Nuclear and High Energy Physics 18 works
  5. 5 Superconducting Materials and Applications Biomedical Engineering 18 works
  6. 6 Particle accelerators and beam dynamics Aerospace Engineering 17 works
  7. 7 Plasma Diagnostics and Applications Electrical and Electronic Engineering 17 works
  8. 8 Solar and Space Plasma Dynamics Astronomy and Astrophysics 14 works
  9. 9 Laser-induced spectroscopy and plasma Mechanics of Materials 7 works
  10. 10 Nuclear reactor physics and engineering Aerospace Engineering 7 works

How open and international is its research?

Against the world’s own shares — the tick on each track. Both are shares of its output, so they sit on one scale and can be read against each other as well as against the world.

openly available32.8%not open67.2%

World: 28% of research is openly available.

with international co-authors18.2%domestic only81.8%

World: 19% is written across borders.

How has Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory's research output changed?

Output in 2018–2022 was 10% lower than in 2013–2017.

1990200020102020
grewheldshrank

The same series as a ribbon — one cell per year, darker for more. The line above answers how much; this answers when.

Other research institutions in Princeton

All research institutions in Princeton

Research measures only: rankings here say nothing about teaching, admissions or student experience. Comparable institutions and collaboration partners are in the interactive view on the map.