Alumni Profiles

Ian Ochs

  • Program Years: 2016-2020
  • Academic Institution: Princeton University
  • Field of Study: Plasma Physics
  • Academic Advisor: Nathaniel Fisch
  • Practicum(s):
    Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (2018)
  • Degree(s):
    Ph.D. Plasma Physics, Princeton University, 2022
    B.A. Physics, Harvard University, 2015

Current Status

  • Research Area: Plasma Physics

Publications

. E. Ochs and N. J. Fisch, Lowering the reactor breakeven requirements for proton–boron 11 fusion, Physics of Plasmas 31, 012503 (2024).

I. E. Ochs and N. J. Fisch, The Critical Role of Isopotential Surfaces for Magnetostatic Ponderomotive Forces. Phys Rev. E 108(6), 065210 (2023).

I. E. Ochs, V. R. Munirov, and N. J. Fisch, Confinement Time and Ambipolar Potential in a Relativistic Mirror-Confined Plasma. Physics of Plasmas 30(5), 052508 (2023).

I. E. Ochs and N. J. Fisch, Ponderomotive Recoil for Electromagnetic Waves. Physics of Plasmas, 30(2), 022102, (2023).

E. J. Kolmes*, I. E. Ochs*, and N. J. Fisch, Wave-supported hybrid fast-thermal p-11B fusion, Physics of Plasmas, 29(11), 110701, (2022). *co-first-authors.

I. E. Ochs, E. J. Kolmes, M. E. Mlodik, T. Rubin, and N. J. Fisch, Improving the feasibility of economical proton-boron-11 fusion via alpha channeling with a hybrid fast and thermal proton scheme, Phys. Rev. E, 106(5), 055215, (2022).

I. E. Ochs and N. J. Fisch, Momentum conservation in current drive and alpha-channeling-mediated rotation drive, Physics of Plasmas, 29(6), 062106, (2022).

I. E. Ochs and N. J. Fisch, Wave-Driven Torques to Drive Current and Rotation. Physics of Plasmas, 28(10), 102506 (2021).

I. E. Ochs and N. J. Fisch, Nonresonant Diffusion in Alpha Channeling. Physical Review Letters, 127, 025003 (2021).

E. J. Kolmes*, I. E. Ochs*, and N. J. Fisch, MITNS: Multiple-Ion Transport Numerical Solver for magnetized plasmas, Computer Physics Communications 258, 107511 (2021). *co-first-authors.

I. E. Ochs and N. J. Fisch, Magnetogenesis by wave-driven momentum exchange, The Astrophysical Journal, 905(13), (2020).

I. E. Ochs and N. J. Fisch, Momentum-exchange current drive by electrostatic waves in an unmagnetized collisionless plasma, Physics of Plasmas 27(6), 062109 (2020).

E. J. Kolmes*, I. E. Ochs*, M. E. Mlodik, J. M. Rax, R. Gueroult, and N. J. Fisch, Radial Current and Rotation Profile Tailoring in Highly Ionized Linear Plasma Devices, Physics of Plasmas 26, 082309 (August, 2019). Featured article. *co-first-authors.

I. E. Ochs, C. Stollberg, E. Kroupp, Y. Maron, A. Fruchtman, E. J. Kolmes, M. E. Mlodik, and N. J. Fisch, Current channel evolution in ideal Z pinch for general velocity profiles, Physics of Plasmas 26, 122706 (2019).

I. E. Ochs and N. J. Fisch, Anisotropy-driven collisional separation of impurities in magnetized compressing and expanding cylindrical plasmas, Physics of Plasmas 25, 122306 (2018).

I. E. Ochs and N. J. Fisch, Favorable Collisional Demixing of Ash and Fuel in Magnetized Inertial Fusion, Physical Review Letters 121, 235002 (2018).

I. E. Ochs and N. J. Fisch, Particle Orbits in a Force-balancing Wave-Driven Rotating Torus, Physics of Plasmas 24, 092513 (2017).

I. E. Ochs, J. M. Rax, R. Gueroult, and N. J. Fisch, Drifts in Collisionality Gradients, Physics of Plasmas 24, 083503 (2017).

I. E. Ochs, R. Gueroult, N. J. Fisch, and S. J. Zweben, Collisional considerations in axial-collection plasma mass filters, Physics of Plasmas 24, 043503 (2017).

I. E. Ochs, N. Bertelli, and N. J. Fisch, Alpha Channeling with High-Field Launch of Lower Hybrid Waves, Physics of Plasmas 22, 112103 (2015).

I. E. Ochs, N. Bertelli, and N. J. Fisch, Coupling of alpha-channeling to parallel wavenumber upshift in lower hybrid current drive, Physics of Plasmas 22, 082119 (2015).

I. E. Ochs and M. M. Desai, The competition between simple and complex evolutionary trajectories in asexual populations. BMC Evolutionary Biology 15 (1). (2015).

Awards

APS Marshall N. Rosenbluth Award for Outstanding Doctoral Thesis, 2023
DOE Fusion Energy Sciences Postdoctoral Fellowship, 2022-2024
Princeton Porter Ogden Jacobus Fellowship, 2020
Princeton Centennial Fellowship, 2015



Undergraduate:
Presidential Scholar, 2011
National Merit Scholar, 2011
Harvard Herchel Smith Undergraduate Research Fellowship, 2013
Harvard PRISE Research Fellowship, 2013
National Undergraduate Fellowship in Plasma Physics (DOE), 2014
Harvard College Scholar (top 10% of class by GPA), 2013-14
Magna cum Laude with Highest Honors in Field (Physics), 2015