FRM II goes Deutsches Museum

The reactor pool of the FRM II is faithfully reproduced in the Deutsches Museum on a scale of 1:10. © FRM II / TUM

Today, the Deutsches Museum reopened for the first time after reconstruction presenting, among other things, a station for the research neutron source Heinz Maier-Leibnitz (FRM II) in the permanent exhibition “Atomic Physics”.

Even from a distance, the blue glow can be seen in the otherwise dark atomic physics exhibition. The Cherenkov light of the fuel element attracts visitors to the Deutsches Museum almost magically. The museum workshop has recreated the reactor pool of the FRM II with a scale of 1:10. Here, visitors learn that neutrons can non-destructively shine through car engines and that the silicon from the research reactor helps transmit electricity from the windy north to the south. In addition to the silicon block, a display case also contains illustrative material regarding the medical radioisotopes produced at the FRM II for cancer treatment.

Media station provides up-to-date information
Those who want to know more can inform themselves at a media station in German and English about how the neutron source works, safety aspects, research examples and current information on the conversion to lower enriched uranium.

The fact that the FRM II is now in the permanent exhibition of the Deutsches Museum can be traced back to the former Technical Director Prof. Dr. Klaus Schreckenbach. He had established contact with curator Dr. Christian Sicka, and preparations on the exhibition began as early as 2012 with the FRM II press team and the FRM II construction department. Dr. Neslihan Becerici-Schmidt from the Deutsches Museum thanked the FRM II for the good cooperation during the preliminary presentation of the exhibition.