UNLV physics professor Victor Kwong has been awarded a $300,000 grant from NASA to continue his research on electron capture processes in plasma, a substance composed of ionized gas.

"The research supported by Dr. Kwong's NASA grant is very important," said Raymond Alden, dean of UNLV's College of Sciences. "The results of this project should not only improve the fundamental understanding of the universe, but may also provide new information needed for the development of fusion as a feasible source of energy for society's needs."

The electron capture processes that Kwong is studying occur when ions, which are charged particles, capture electrons from neutral particles. He is able to study these processes by trapping ions in a unique storage facility he devised on campus.

Kwong's research will help astrophysicists in their study of the solar atmosphere, planetary nebulae, supernova remnants, and other interstellar media. It may also provide insight into the energy-loss mechanisms that occur in fusion and may help explain x-ray emissions in comets.

"I am especially delighted to receive this grant because it is imperative that NASA recognize electron capture as an important process that needs to be studied thoroughly," said Kwong, who is chair of the UNLV physics department. The grant will fund Kwong's research for three years.

Kwong will be assisted in his research by Zuyun Fang, assistant research professor of physics; Stephen Lepp, associate professor of physics; and a UNLV graduate student.