Inside a neutron facility

Yesterday, we visited the neutron source FRM II in Garching with the IMPRS-APS. 

In commercial nuclear power plants, reactors are designed to produce as much heat as possible from nuclear fission. That heat generates steam, which drives turbines to produce electricity. At the research reactor FRM II, the focus is different: here, the valuable by-products of fission – free neutrons – are harnessed directly for applications in research, industry and medicine.

Yesterday, our doctoral candidates had the opportunity to tour the facility, gaining a glimpse into the reactor as well as the experimental halls. Guided by researchers Michal Dembski-Villalta and Christoph Springl, they learned about how neutrons are produced and the wide-ranging ways they can be applied – ranging from the production of positrons for material science to analytics in the automotive industry.

Thank you to our guides for sharing their expertise, and to Diana Stürz from FRM II for organizing the visit!