Michael Finkenthal’s main research interests over the past 30 years have been in the field of atomic processes in hot plasmas—both low-density fusion and high-density, laser and pulsed-power-produced plasmas as well as in the development of novel XUV diagnostics for these activities. His research was conducted at the Racah Institute of Physics in Jerusalem and at various fusion research facilities in Europe (CEA – France, ENEA – Italy), USA (Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory, MIT, GA, Madison – Wisconsin, Austin – Texas, etc.) and Japan (National Institute for Fusion Science, Toki-City, Institute for Laser Engineering, Osaka, as well as the Universities of Tokyo and Kyoto). For most of this period, a longstanding collaboration on laboratory, as well as astrophysical plasma studies was established with Prof. H. W. Moos, who initiated a successful program in plasma diagnostics at Johns Hopkins University: in its framework, many novel diagnostics for fusion devices have been developed and an extended work on testing collisional-radiative models and providing atomic data for fusion and astrophysical plasma physics has been performed in collaboration with scientists at NASA and Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory. His current activities involve research on the effect of fluctuation and turbulence on particle and heat transport in ST tokamaks, novel XUV, atomic modeling for magnetically confined fusion plasmas, diagnostics developments for present and future – burning – fusion plasmas (such as ITER), as well as X-ray astrophysics. 

Development of Micro-Periodic Mirrors for Hard X-ray Phase Contrast Imaging, with Dan Stutman and N. Moldovan, Applied Optics, 49 (25), 4677, 2010

Transmission grating based EUV imaging spectrometer for time and space resolved impurity measurements, with D. Kumar et al., HTPD Proceedings, to be published in Review of Scientific Instruments, 2010

Prototype High Resolution Multi-energy Soft X-ray Array for NSTX, with K. Tritz et al. Ibid.

Development of optics for X-ray phase-contrast imaging of high energy density plasmas, with D. Stutman and N. Moldovan, Ibid.

Overview of results from the National Spherical Torus Experiment, with D.A. Gates and the NSTX team, Nuclear Fusion, 49, 104016, 2009

Correlation between Electron transport and shear Alfven activity in the NSTX plasma, with D. Stutman et al., Phys. Rev. Lett., 102, 115002, 2009

Impurity transport studies in neutral beam heated spherical tokamak H-mode plasmas, with L. Delgado Aparicio et al., Nuclear Fusion, 49, 085028, 2009

Relationship between Edge Localized Modes (ELMs) severity and electron transport in NSTX, with K. Tritz et al., Physics of Plasmas, 15, 056119, 2008

Free-standing diffractive optical elements as light extractors for ‘burning plasma’ experiments, with D. Stautman, G. Caravelli (graduate student), et al., Journal of Applied Physics, 103, 093307, 2008

Updating of ionization data for ionization balance evaluations of atoms and ions for the elements hydrogen to germanium, with M. Mattioli, G. Mazzitelli, et al., J. Phys. B:At. Mol. Opt. Phys, 40, 3569, 2007

Multi-functional diagnostic method with tracer-encapsulated pellet injection, with S. Sudo, N. Tamura et al., Plasma and Fusion Research, vol. 2., 1013, 2007

A ’multi-color’ SXR diagnostic for time and space-resolved measurements of electron temperature, MHD activity and particle transport in MCF plasmas, with L. Delgado-Aparicio et al., Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion, 49, 1245, 2007

Overview of recent physics results from the National Spherical Torus Experiment, with J. Menard and the NSTX Team, Nuclear Fusion, 47 (10), 645, 2007

Transport with reversed shear in NSTX, with F. Levinton et al., Physics of Plasmas, 14 (5), 056119, 2007

High-efficiency fast scintillators for ‘optical’ soft-X ray arrays for laboratory plasma diagnostics, with L. Delgado-Aparicio et al., Applied Optics, 46, 6069, 2007

Fast electron temperature measurements using a ‘multi-color’ optical array, with L. Delgado-Aparicio et al., Journal of Applied Physics, 102, 073304, 2007

Spectroscopic imaging diagnostics for burning plasma experiments, Rev. Sci. Instrum., 76 (2005), with D. Stutman, G. Suliman. K. Tritz. L.F. Delgado-Aparicio, R. Kaita and D. Johnson

High throughput ultrasoft X-ray polichromator for embedded impurity pellet injections, Rev, Sci. Instrum., 76 (2005), with D. Stutman, L.F. Delgado-Aparicio, K. Tritz, N. Tamura, D. Kalinina

Current profile reconstruction using electron temperature imaging diagnostics, Rev. Sci. Instrum, 75 (2004), with: K. Tritz, D. Stutman, L.F. Delgado-Aparicio, D. Pacella and NSTX Group

‘Optical’ soft X-ray arrays for fluctuation diagnostics in magnetic fusion energy experiments, Rev. Sci. Instrum. 75 (2004), with: L.F. Delgado-Aparicio, D. Stutman, K. Tritz, R. Kaita, L. Roquemore, D. Johnson

Soft x-ray tangential imaging of the NSTX core plasma by means of an MPGD pinhole camera, Plasma Phys. and Controlled Fusion, 46 (2004), with: D. Pacella, M. Leigheb, R. Bellazzini, A. Bretz, D. Stutman, R. Kaita, S.A. Sabbagh

Energy resolved fast two-dimentional x-ray imaging for MFE plasmas, Rev. Sci. Instrum., 75 (2004), with: D. Pacella, R. Bellazzini and A. Bretz

Effects of large area liquid lithium limiters on Spherical Torus Tokamaks, Proc. of the 16th International Conference on Plasma – Surface Interactions, (2004) and in print, Journal of Nuclear Materials (2005), with: R. Kaita and the NSTX Group

Studies of improved electron confinement on NSTX, Proc. of the IAEA Fusion Energy Conference, Portugal (2004), with D. Stutman and NSTX Group

Study of impurity transport in FTU internal transport barrier plasmas, Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion, 46 (2), 2004, with: L. Carraro, L. Gabellieri, M. Mattioli, M. Leigheb, M.E. Puiatti, P. Scarrin, M., Valisa, D. Pacella (ENEA and Padova, Italy) and K. Fournier (LLNL)

Experimental and simulated M-shell nickel spectra in the 14.4-18.0 nm region from magnetic fusion devices, J. Phys. B. At. Mol. Opt. Phys, 37 (1) 2004, with: M. Mattioli, I. Coffey, C. Jupen (JET), K. Fournier (LLNL) and M. Valisa (Padova)

Impurity transport measurements in beam heated low-confinement mode discharges in the National Spherical Torus Experiment, Physics of Plasmas, 10 (11), 2003, with: Dan Stutman (JHU), R. Bell, S.M. Kaye, B.P. LeBlanc, J.E. Menard, E.J. Synakowski, D.S. Darrow, and V. Soukhanovskii (PPPL) and C. Bourdelle (Association Eruatom-CEA, France)

X-VUV spectroscopic imaging with a Micro Pattern Gas Detector, Nucl. Instr. And Methods in Physics Research, A508, 2003, with: D. Pacella, R. Bellazzini, A. Bretz, G. Pizzicaroli

Progress towards high-performance, steady-state sperhical torus, Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion 45 (12), 2003, with: M. Ono and the NSTX team (PPPL)

Recent diagnostic developments on the Large Helical Device, Plasma Physics and Controlled Fusion 45 (12), 2003, with: S. Sudo and LHD Group (National Institute for Fusion Science, Japan)

Development of phosphor scintillator-based detectors for soft X-ray and VUV spectroscopy of magnetically confined fusion plasmas, Review of Scientific Instruments, 74 (10), 2003, with: V. Soukhanovskii, S.P. Regan, M. May and H.W. Moos (JHU)

Integrated impurity diagnostics package for magnetic fusion experiments, Review of Scientific Instruments, 74 (3), 2003, with: D. Stutman and H.W. Moos (JHU), K.B. Fournier (LLNL) and R. Kaita, D. Johnson and L. Roquemore (PPPL)

Fast X-ray imaging of the NSTX plasma with a micropattern gas detector based on gas electron multiplier amplifier, Review of Scientific Instruments, 74 (3), 2003 with: D. Pacella, G. Pizzicaroli and M. Leigheb (ENEA), R. Belazzini, A. Brez (INFN, Pisa) and D. Stutman, B. Blagojevic, R. Vero (JHU)

Imaging transmission grating spectrometer for magnetic fusion experiments, Review of Scientific Instruments 74 (3), 2003, with: B. Blagojevic, D. Stutman and H.W. Moos (JHU) and R. Kaita and R. Majeski (PPPL)

Correlation between impurity transport and toroidal rotation in NSTX, Proceedings of the European Physical Society Conference on Controlled Fusion and Plasma Physics, vol. 27A, 399 with: D. Stutman (JHU) and NSTX team (PPPL)

CDX-U operation with a large area liquid lithium limiter, Journal of Nuclear Materials, vol. 313 (2003), with: D. Stutman (JHU), R. Majeski and CDX-U Group (PPPL)