To advance the development of fusion energy reactors, a new joint research project is being launched at the Technical University of Munich (TUM). The project will investigate the properties of innovative high-temperature superconductors (HTS), which are used to control the extremely hot plasma in the reactor, under extreme conditions. In addition to TUM’s Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Research Neutron Source (FRM II), the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics (IPP) and the company THEVA are also participating in the HTS4Fusion project, which is funded by the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology, and Space (BMFTR).

As part of the Meeting of the International Group of Research Reactors (IGORR) in Japan, representatives of the FRM II visited the Institute for Integrated Radiation and Nuclear Science (KURNS) at Kyoto University. The aim of the meeting was to exchange expertise on safety standards and the future of neutron research – particularly with regard to the planned construction of a new neutron source in Japan.

To speed up the process of loading samples into measuring instruments and increase flexibility, staff at FRM II are developing an industrial robotic arm that will support scientists with their experiments in the future.