Sessions
Track A - Direct Fusion Drive Power for Spacecraft Long Term Missions
1:15 PM - 3:15 PM Wed
Dr. Galea received his bachelor's degree in Aerospace Engineering and Physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2016. He joined Princeton Satellite Systems (PSS) after completing his Ph.D. in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering at Princeton University in 2021. His dissertation work was on "Coherent Microwave Scattering from Laser-Generated Plasma in External Magnetic Field and Weakly Ionized Plasma Environments." He has expertise in plasma diagnostics, short-pulsed lasers, and plasma physics. In his graduate research, he investigated the implementation of a laser- and microwave-based diagnostic technique, Radar REMPI (Resonance-Enhanced Multi-Photon Ionization), in novel environments relevant to plasma propulsion and remote sensing applications. A primary finding in his thesis was the discovery of magnetically induced depolarization of the microwaves when scattering from a small plasma in a magnetic field, which allows one to perform remote local vector magnetic field measurements. At PSS, he has been running the x-ray energy diagnostic on the PFRC-2 experiment and working on aerospace technology development, fusion power electronics, and plasma-circuit models. He is currently operating and analyzing the x-ray silicon drift detector diagnostic for electron energy distribution measurements. He is also working on developing a plasma-circuit model for capturing key effects of surrounding plasma on the power electronics being developed under Galvanizing Advances in
Market-aligned fusion for an Overabundance of Watts (GAMOW).