Francis F. Chen
Encyclopedia
Francis F. Chen is a Chinese-born American plasma physicist.
, where he received his bachelor's degree in astronomy in 1950, a Masters degree in physics in 1953, and his doctorate in 1954. At that time he worked on high-energy physics (proton-proton scattering and proton-nucleus scattering at energies were already over 1 GeV). Starting in 1954 he worked at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
(where he worked initially with the Stellarator). He remained at PPPL until 1969 when he became professor of electrical engineering at the University of California
, Los Angeles
. He has been a professor emeritus since 1994. He was a visiting scientist at the nuclear research center in Fontenay-aux-Roses in 1962-63, 1977 in Lausanne
and in 1985 in Australia
and Japan
.
Chen has been concerned with not only basic research in plasma physics and magnetic and inertial confinement fusion, but also with low-energy plasma physics for industrial applications such as semiconductors. He has worked in both theoretical and experimental plasma physics. He has studied multiple subfields of plasma physics including: plasma diagnostics, accelerator concepts with plasmas, helicon plasma sources, plasma instabilities of laser interaction, Langmuir probes, resistive drift waves, anomalous diffusion, and Q-machines. He wrote a very well known and highly regarded Introductory Plasma Physics Textbook (see below).
Since 1968 he has been a Fellow of the American Physical Society (APS). He received the James-Clerk-Maxwell Prize for Plasma Physics in 1995. In 1983 he was Chairman of the Plasma Physics Section of the APS. Since 1980 he has been a Fellow of the IEEE, and he received the Plasma Physics and Applications Award in 1994.
Biography
Chen studied at Harvard UniversityHarvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
, where he received his bachelor's degree in astronomy in 1950, a Masters degree in physics in 1953, and his doctorate in 1954. At that time he worked on high-energy physics (proton-proton scattering and proton-nucleus scattering at energies were already over 1 GeV). Starting in 1954 he worked at the Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory
Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory is a United States Department of Energy national laboratory for plasma physics and nuclear fusion science located on Princeton University's Forrestal Campus in Plainsboro Township, New Jersey. Its primary mission is research into and development of fusion as an...
(where he worked initially with the Stellarator). He remained at PPPL until 1969 when he became professor of electrical engineering at the University of California
University of California
The University of California is a public university system in the U.S. state of California. Under the California Master Plan for Higher Education, the University of California is a part of the state's three-tier public higher education system, which also includes the California State University...
, Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. He has been a professor emeritus since 1994. He was a visiting scientist at the nuclear research center in Fontenay-aux-Roses in 1962-63, 1977 in Lausanne
Lausanne
Lausanne is a city in Romandy, the French-speaking part of Switzerland, and is the capital of the canton of Vaud. The seat of the district of Lausanne, the city is situated on the shores of Lake Geneva . It faces the French town of Évian-les-Bains, with the Jura mountains to its north-west...
and in 1985 in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
Chen has been concerned with not only basic research in plasma physics and magnetic and inertial confinement fusion, but also with low-energy plasma physics for industrial applications such as semiconductors. He has worked in both theoretical and experimental plasma physics. He has studied multiple subfields of plasma physics including: plasma diagnostics, accelerator concepts with plasmas, helicon plasma sources, plasma instabilities of laser interaction, Langmuir probes, resistive drift waves, anomalous diffusion, and Q-machines. He wrote a very well known and highly regarded Introductory Plasma Physics Textbook (see below).
Since 1968 he has been a Fellow of the American Physical Society (APS). He received the James-Clerk-Maxwell Prize for Plasma Physics in 1995. In 1983 he was Chairman of the Plasma Physics Section of the APS. Since 1980 he has been a Fellow of the IEEE, and he received the Plasma Physics and Applications Award in 1994.
Books
- Introduction to Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion, Plenum Press, New York 1984
- Jane Chang Lecture Notes on Principles of Plasma Processing, Springer 2003