Nathaniel J. Fisch

Nathaniel Joseph Fisch is an American plasma physicist known for pioneering the excitation of electric currents in plasmas using electromagnetic waves, which was then used in tokamak experiments. This contributed to an increased understanding of plasma wave–particle interactions in the field for which he was awarded the James Clerk Maxwell Prize for Plasma Physics in 2005 and the Hannes Alfvén Prize in 2015.

Fisch's research also involve inertial fusion, as well as methods to generate intensive laser fields to accelerate particles, such as the ones used in plasma thrusters. He is also known to have worked on the hydrodynamics of charged liquids, petroleum refinement, and pattern recognition.