Minister of State Herrmann visits research reactor FRM II

On the gallery of the neutron guide hall, Scientific Director Prof. Dr. Müller-Buschbaum (r.) shows the Head of the State Chancellery the wide range of applications of neutrons. © Bayerische Staatskanzlei

A very interested and enthusiastic State Minister visited the Research Neutron Source, “one of the most powerful and versatile neutron sources worldwide”, as Scientific Director Prof. Dr. Peter Müller-Buschbaum introduced FRM II.

At the invitation of the three directors of the Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Research Neutron Source (FRM II) at the Technical University of Munich, State Chancellor Dr. Florian Herrmann came to Garching on June 3. After introductory talks by Technical Director Dr. Axel Pichlmaier on the reactor’s operation and safety and by Prof. Dr. Müller-Buschbaum on its scientific use and application, Herrmann toured FRM II together with two employees of the Bavarian State Chancellery.

Minister of State Dr. Florian Herrmann (2nd from right) asked the three FRM II directors Robert Rieck, Prof. Dr. Peter Müller-Buschbaum and Dr. Axel Pichlmaier (from left) about the special features of the fuel on a fuel element dummy. © Bayerische Staatskanzlei

“Important contribution for the future”

After his tour of the neutron guide, experimental and reactor halls, the head of the Bavarian State Chancellery was impressed: “The research neutron source in Garching is unique worldwide for basic research and countless fields of application in medicine and industry. The diverse use of this analytical method makes a decisive contribution to the development of new materials, processes and products, e.g. the pinpoint irradiation of tumors from the inside instead of the outside. With this great research facility, Bavaria is making an important contribution to science and the future of its citizens.”