Science Explorer Back to mapMap
Discussion
Topic · Aerospace Engineering

Plasma and Flow Control in Aerodynamics

Plasma and Flow Control in Aerodynamics is a research topic within Aerospace Engineering. Science Explorer counts 15k research works in it since 1950. 9.9% of them reached the world's top 10% most cited for their field and year.

This cluster of papers focuses on the use of plasma actuators, including dielectric barrier discharge and synthetic jets, for aerodynamic flow control. The research covers topics such as separation control, flow reattachment, electrohydrodynamic effects, boundary layer control, and nanosecond pulse discharge. Additionally, it explores applications in thermal management for electronics.

  • Plasma Actuators
  • Aerodynamic Flow Control
  • Dielectric Barrier Discharge
  • Synthetic Jets
  • Separation Control
  • Flow Reattachment
  • Electrohydrodynamic Effects
  • Boundary Layer Control
  • Nanosecond Pulse Discharge
  • Thermal Management
Research works
15k
fractional, since 1950
In the world top 10%
1.5k
per year above
Top-10% rate
9.9%
share of its works in the world top 10%
Growth, 2018-21 → 2022-25
+23%
the tick is no change
Largest producer
China
38% of the 10 largest, 2022-now
Plasma and Flow Control in Aerodynamics

Which countries lead Plasma and Flow Control in Aerodynamics research?

By volume, China and the United States publish the most (995 and 660 works in 2022-now).

By volume, 2022-now

  1. 1 China 995 works
  2. 2 United States 660 works
  3. 3 India 256 works
  4. 4 Russia 170 works
  5. 5 Japan 153 works
  6. 6 Germany 106 works
  7. 7 United Kingdom 100 works
  8. 8 France 79 works
  9. 9 Italy 64 works
  10. 10 Iran 56 works

How concentrated that is

The same countries as shares of everything the list above accounts for. A node where two countries do two thirds of the work and one spread evenly across twelve read alike as a ranking and not at all alike here.

China: 37.7%United States: 25.0%India: 9.7%Russia: 6.4%6 others listed: 21.1%38%largest
China995 · 37.7%United States660 · 25.0%India256 · 9.7%Russia170 · 6.4%6 others listed557 · 21.1%

Shares of the rows listed above, not of the whole node.

Which institutions lead Plasma and Flow Control in Aerodynamics research?

By volume in 2022-now, Russian Academy of Sciences publishes the most Plasma and Flow Control in Aerodynamics research, followed by Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics and Northwestern Polytechnical University.

By volume, 2022-now

  1. 1 Russian Academy of SciencesRussia 85 works
  2. 2 Nanjing University of Aeronautics and AstronauticsChina 66 works
  3. 3 Northwestern Polytechnical UniversityChina 65 works
  4. 4 National University of Defense TechnologyChina 57 works
  5. 5 China Aerodynamics Research and Development CenterChina 55 works
  6. 6 Beihang UniversityChina 41 works
  7. 7 United States Department of DefenseUnited States 39 works
  8. 8 Xi'an Jiaotong UniversityChina 36 works
  9. 9 Chinese Academy of SciencesChina 36 works
  10. 10 Harbin Institute of TechnologyChina 28 works

What are the most cited papers in Plasma and Flow Control in Aerodynamics?

The most cited paper in Plasma and Flow Control in Aerodynamics is "A Model for Collision Processes in Gases. I. Small Amplitude Processes in Charged and Neutral One-Component Systems" (Prabhu L. Bhatnagar, Eugene P. Gross, Max Krook, 1954), with 8,631 citations. Next come "Airflow control by non-thermal plasma actuators" (1,597) and "The formation and evolution of synthetic jets" (1,345).

Most cited papers
#PaperReleasedCitations
1 A Model for Collision Processes in Gases. I. Small Amplitude Processes in Charged and Neutral One-Component Systems Prabhu L. Bhatnagar, Eugene P. Gross, Max Krook · Physical Review May 1954 8,631
2 Airflow control by non-thermal plasma actuators Éric Moreau · Journal of Physics D Applied Physics 19 Jan 2007 1,597
3 The formation and evolution of synthetic jets Barton L. Smith, Ari Glezer · Physics of Fluids Sep 1998 1,345
4 Dielectric Barrier Discharge Plasma Actuators for Flow Control Thomas C. Corke, C. Lon Enloe, Stephen Wilkinson · Annual Review of Fluid Mechanics Review 23 Sep 2009 1,293
5 Review of chemical-kinetic problems of future NASA missions. I - Earth entries Chul Park · Journal of Thermophysics and Heat Transfer Jul 1993 1,265
All 100 most cited papers, with filters and sorting

Where is Plasma and Flow Control in Aerodynamics research done?

The largest centres of Plasma and Flow Control in Aerodynamics research in 2022-now are Beijing (China), Xi'an (China), Nanjing (China) and Moscow (Russia). Among places with at least 20 works in it, it is an unusually large share of all research in Mianyang and Novosibirsk.

Largest cities, 2022-now

  1. 1 BeijingChina 196 works
  2. 2 Xi'anChina 144 works
  3. 3 NanjingChina 97 works
  4. 4 MoscowRussia 74 works
  5. 5 ChangshaChina 67 works
  6. 6 TokyoJapan 61 works
  7. 7 MianyangChina 59 works
  8. 8 ShanghaiChina 54 works
  9. 9 HarbinChina 41 works
  10. 10 NovosibirskRussia 38 works

Where it is the local speciality

  1. MianyangCN · 59.2 works34×
  2. NovosibirskRU · 37.8 works11×
← less than its size predicts1×more →

Location quotient: how much more of its research is in Plasma and Flow Control in Aerodynamics than the world average.

See Plasma and Flow Control in Aerodynamics on the map

Where is the best place to study Plasma and Flow Control in Aerodynamics?

Among universities, judged by research, National University of Defense Technology, Xi'an Jiaotong University and Northwestern Polytechnical University score highest, combining excellence, specialisation, size, growth and international reach. Research strength is one signal when choosing where to study; it does not measure teaching.

0%10%20%30%mean 16.57%fractional works in this field (log) →share of work in the world top 10% →National University …Xi'an Jiaotong Unive…Northwestern Polytec…Nanjing University o…
above the meannear itbelow it

One dot per university in the first ten of the table below, at the default weights. The upper left is the interesting corner: small places doing unusually strong work.

Excellenceshare of its work in the world top 10%, 2022-now and all time averaged
40%
Specialisationhow much of its work is in this field, counted up to 10× the world share
10%
Sizeits output in this field, on a log scale
30%
Growthoutput growth, counted from -20% to +20%
10%
Internationalshare of its work with a co-author abroad
10%
Each slider sets a weight; the share it gets of the score is beside it.
#UniversityScoreTop 10%SpecialisationWorksGrowth
1National University of Defense TechnologyChina 88.025.9%26.9×58 +41.3%
2Xi'an Jiaotong UniversityChina 70.020.2%7.4×36 +65.2%
3Northwestern Polytechnical UniversityChina 67.914.4%20.5×65 +32.5%
4Nanjing University of Aeronautics and AstronauticsChina 65.29.9%27.1×66 +56.8%
5Beihang UniversityChina 64.815.9%13.6×42 +58.8%
6Hong Kong Polytechnic UniversityChina 59.524.5%4.3×10 +72.7%
7Harbin Institute of TechnologyChina 56.213.7%6.2×28 +23.3%
8The Ohio State UniversityUnited States 56.110.0%6.7×22 +51.6%
9Huazhong University of Science and TechnologyChina 53.315.3%3.4×17 +222.1%
10Shanghai Jiao Tong UniversityChina 51.215.9%2.6×21 +72.7%

Universities only. The score blends excellence (40%), size (30%), specialisation (10%), growth (10%), international reach (10%), 2022-now; growth compares 2018-21 with 2022-25 and counts up to +20%, since a jump from a small base is mostly noise.

Every institution in Plasma and Flow Control in Aerodynamics, country by country

Is Plasma and Flow Control in Aerodynamics research growing?

Output in 2022-2025 was 23% higher than in 2018-2021, peaking in 2026. The fastest-growing topics are Plasma and Flow Control in Aerodynamics.

still counting19801990200020102020
grewheldshrank

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

Its share of all research

Growing output can still be a shrinking share: all of science grows. This is Plasma and Flow Control in Aerodynamics as a percentage of every work published that year, 0.011% in 2024.

still counting0.010%0.020%0.030%Plasma and Flow Control in Aerodynamics0.014% in 202519801990200020102020

Fractional works of Plasma and Flow Control in Aerodynamics over all fractional works that year. How the balance of science has shifted.

How much of it reaches the world top 10%

Year by year.

still counting5%10%15%Plasma and Flow Control in Aerodynamics9.9% in 2025200020102020

Of each year's works in it, the share that reached the world's 10% most cited for their field and year. A field is the world for its own topics, so there is no other line to hold it against.

Which topics inside it are moving

Growth and decline on one axis around a shared zero. Two lists side by side hide the thing that matters: whether the growth dwarfs the decline, or the other way round.

Discussion

Ask a question or share a note about Plasma and Flow Control in Aerodynamics. Posts are plain text and can be reported.