Bachelor thesis at the FRM II

23.02.2026, Studentische Hilfskräfte, Praktikantenstellen, Studienarbeiten

We're looking for a student interested in a Bachelor thesis in the Physics with Positrons group at the FRM II.

With the Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Research Neutron Source (FRM II) in Garching near Munich, the Technical University of Munich (TUM) operates one of the most powerful and modern neutron sources. TUM‘s leading
scientific position in the field of research with neutrons is underpinned by its cooperation with the Jülich Research Centre and the Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon within the framework of the Heinz Maier-Leibnitz Zentrum (MLZ).

Tungsten is considered to be the most suitable plasma facing material for a nuclear fusion reactor. In such a reactor, neutron irradiation induces nuclear transmutation reactions, resulting in the formation of foreign atoms, such as rhenium. A critical requirement for a fusion reactor will be tritium (fuel) self-sufficiency. A primary concern of tritium management is the potential for trapping in and diffusion through the reactor vessel. Studies on tritium retention can be facilitated by the use of deuterium.

Your tasks:
Wihtin this thesis, positron are applied to characterize radiation damage because they are efficiently trapped in vacancy-type defects. The focus will be on deuterium retention in tungsten and tungsten-rhenium alloys. Samples will be self-ion irradiated to mimic neutron irradiation, loaded with deuterium and characterized using positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy and Doppler broadening spectroscopy. The project is carried out within the TUM research group Physics with Positrons.

Kontakt: Christoph.Hugenschmidt@frm2.tum.de