Guest Editorial Special Issue-Golden Anniversary of TPS

In Late 2021, Dr. Steven Gitomer, the Editor-in-Chief of IEEE Transactions on Plasma Science (TPS), approached me about organizing a Golden Anniversary Special Issue of TPS (I am the Guest Editor for review articles for the journal). This Special Issue was to commemorate both the 50th Anniversary of the IEEE TPS (vol. PS-1, Issue 1 appeared in March 1973) ( Figs. 1 and 2 ) and the 50th Anniversary of the IEEE International Conference on Plasma Science (which I chaired in Santa Fe, NM, USA, on May 21–25, 2023) ( Figs. 3 and 4 ). We discussed this Special Issue and agreed to target potential contributors. Twelve prospective lead authors were invited to contribute. Eight contributions were ultimately received, went through peer review, and appear in this Special Issue. Looking at the Table of Contents of the inaugural issue, it is clear that the focus areas of TPS have evolved over the past half century. Some of the articles in this Special Issue would fit in nicely with the collection of articles in the inaugural issue whereas others reflect the amazing breadth of the field of plasma science.