14 November 2001

Plainsboro, New Jersey -- Edmund Synakowski and Randy Wilson, both physicists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL), recently received honors from the American Physical Society (APS). The APS gave Synakowski the 2001 Award for Excellence in Plasma Physics Research and named Wilson a Fellow during the Division of Plasma Physics meeting this fall in Long Beach, California.

Synakowski was cited for his contributions to experiments that demonstrated a novel means of suppressing turbulence and the loss of heat from plasmas -- the hot, ionized gases used as fuels for the production of fusion energy. He led research on this subject at PPPL on the Tokamak Fusion Test Reactor (TFTR). These efforts led to joint research on this topic with physicists at General Atomics, in San Diego, California. He is one of four to receive the national award; the other three recipients are researchers in California. The award was established to recognize a particular recent outstanding achievement in plasma physics research and consists of $5000, which will be divided among the honorees.

PPPL Deputy Director Rich Hawryluk said of Synakowski, "Ed is well deserving of this award. He led the team effort in conducting an elegant series of experiments on TFTR. These experiments, together with measurements and theory developed at PPPL, were critical to our understanding of how to suppress turbulence and the loss of heat in fusion plasmas. His subsequent collaborative research on the fusion experiment at General Atomics helped confirm the universal nature of these physics principles."

Synakowski is presently Deputy Program Director of the National Spherical Torus Experiment (NSTX), a national project sited at PPPL. He received a bachelor's degree in physics from the Johns Hopkins University in 1982, graduating with Departmental Honors and receiving the Donald Kerr Memorial Medal for excellence in physics. Synakowski received a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Texas at Austin in 1988, the same year he joined the research staff at PPPL. In 2000, he was named an APS Fellow and also shared the Kaul Foundation Prize for Excellence in Plasma Physics and Technology Development, an award given by Princeton University to a PPPL employee. Synakowski lives in West Windsor.

Wilson was named an APS Fellow in recognition of his major pioneering contributions to understanding the use of radio-frequency waves to heat and drive an electric current in fusion plasmas. The honor is a lifetime appointment. The APS rules limit the maximum number of Fellows selected each year to be no more than half of one percent of the Division membership.

Wilson, who heads the Radio Frequency Technology Development group at PPPL, received a bachelor's degree in physics from the University of Michigan in 1974 and a master's and Ph.D. in Astrophysical Sciences from Princeton University in 1977 and 1980, respectively. Upon receiving his Ph.D., he joined PPPL's staff. He is a resident of Princeton Township.

PPPL Experiment Department Head Joel Hosea said, "Randy Wilson has made outstanding contributions to the physics and technology of radio-frequency heating and current drive in fusion-oriented plasmas. He is recognized worldwide in the plasma physics community as a leader of radio-frequency research and richly deserves his selection to be a Fellow of the American Physical Society."

PPPL, which is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy and managed by Princeton University, is a collaborative national center for science and innovation leading to an attractive fusion energy source. Fusion is the process that powers the sun and the stars. In the interior of stars, matter is converted into energy by the fusion, or joining, of the nuclei of light atoms to form heavier elements. At PPPL, physicists use a magnetic field to confine plasma for research on fusion. Scientists hope eventually to use the energy produced by fusion for the production of electricity.

For further information, please contact:

Anthony R. DeMeo
Head
Information Services
Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
(609) 243-2755
ademeo@pppl.gov

Patricia Wieser
Information Services
Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
(609) 243-2757
pwieser@pppl.gov

Downloadable print-quality photo of Dr. Edmund Synakowski. Resolution is 300 dpi, print size is approximately 3.5 inches wide by 3.8 inches high, file type is jpeg, and file size is 1.0 MB. Photo by Elle Starkman, PPPL.

Downloadable print-quality photo of Dr. Randy Wilson. Resolution is 300 dpi, print size is approximately 2.2 inches wide by 2.4 inches high, file type is jpeg, and file size is 467 kB. Photo by Elle Starkman, PPPL.