We congratulate Dr. Alexander Feichtmayer on successfully completing his doctoral thesis!   He recently defended his thesis, ‘Advanced Concepts for the Characterization of Fusion-Relevant Materials’. And, of course, the traditional doctoral cap was a must-have for the defence! #FusionResearch #PhD

Congratulations to Dr Markus Wappl on successfully completing his doctoral thesis with the title "Stellarator-reactor confinement studies based on results from Wendelstein 7-X".   To honour him, his colleagues made this great doctoral hat with details that reflect his interests.   #FusionResearch

A 2-megawatt gyrotron could soon heat plasma at Wendelstein 7-X — with the power of about 2,000 household microwaves. IPP, KIT, the University of Stuttgart and Thales are developing the source, cooling and beam transmission technology. https://www.ipp.mpg.de/hipmib26en

A fusion device can have a digital twin before the real machine even exists. Researchers are developing predictive models that combine physics, experiments, HPC and AI to test scenarios, identify risks and support the design of ITER and future fusion plants. doi.org/10.1088/1741... #fusionenergy

Last week in Greifswald, representatives from digiLab met with scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics to discuss the AI strategy for Wendelstein 7-X, the potential implications of AI for the Institute and the challenges involved in ensuring its safe use in research.

"I MIGHT BE NERDY BUT I AM FASTER THAN YOU." With this humorous slogan on their shirts, 45 colleagues from the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics and in total 300 runners from the Max Planck Society recently joined the B2Run in Munich. Thanks to everyone who took part!

Researchers from TUM and @plasmaphysik.bsky.social have launched the FUMA consortium at the Garching campus to study materials for future #FusionPower plants. The project combines #neutron and #positron methods to investigate material damage and service life: go.tum.de/803245 📷W. Schürmann

TUM and IPP Are Testing Materials for Fusion Power Plants

Materials for future fusion power plants are being tested at TUM's FRM II research reactor.

go.tum.de

Together, IPP, FRM II and Technische Universität München are investigating material damage at the atomic level to support the development of future fusion power plants. This new project FUMA is funded by the German Federal Ministry for Research, Technology and Space (BMFTR) with 4.8 million euros.

During two training sessions at the Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics in Garching, over 100 physics teachers recently gained an insight into fusion research and found new inspiration for their lessons.

Today is World Chocolate Day, a great opportunity to show the sweet side of plasma physics. Archive photo: IPP / A. Ullmann, 2012 #WorldChocolateDay #Plasmaphysiks #Wendelstein7-x

Alan Goodman was also awarded the PhD Research Award by the European Physical Society for his doctoral thesis on ‘Quasi-isodynamic stellarator optimisation’. It focuses on the development of Stable Quasi-Isodynamic Designs, for which he created new mathematical tools. 📷: Ben Peters

Daniel Fajardo has been awarded the PhD Research Award from the European Physical Society (EPS). He is receiving the award for his doctoral thesis on ‘Theory-based integrated modelling of impurity transport in tokamaks’.   Congratulations to Dr Daniel Fajardo!   Photo: Elisabeth Jaletzke-Heer

Plasma in the microwave at Science Day in Greifswald Today many interested visitors found their way to our table in the Institute of Physics at the Universität Greifswald. Our scientists provided information about plasma and plasma physics. The hands-on experiments were particularly popular.

We’re at the Science Dayof the Universität Greifswald! Discover exciting experiments, how plasma is created, how we study it at Wendelstein 7-X, and why fusion research matters. 📆 27 June 26 ⏰ 11 am – 4 pm 🗺️ Institute of Physics, University of Greifswald, Felix-Hausdorff-St. 6, Greifswald

To learn more about fusion research, Saxony’s Minister President Michael Kretschmer, Members of the Bundestag Georg Günther and Philipp Amthor and Greifswald City Council member Torsten Heil (all CDU), visited. Experiment director Prof. Olaf Grulke gave a tour of the control room at Wendelstein 7-X.

Four outstanding master’s theses, four IPP awards: Director Tim Happel presented the 2026 IPP Master Thesis Prize to Lucas Räß, Daniela Kropáčková, Simon Krumm and Eduardo Carra. Each award is worth €1,000. Congratulations! #science #physics #fusionenergy

In preparation for the next operation phase in September, the bake-out of the Wendelstein 7-X plasma vessel begins today. This is done with hot water that flows through thin metal tubes on the outside to ensure a clean vessel and plasma.   📷: Wolfgang Filser, 2003 #Plasmaphysiks #Wendelstein7-X

Why does this photo have such unusual colours? Find out on 20 & 21 June 2026 at the Open Day of the German Federal Government!   Come and visit us between 10 am and 6 pm at the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology and Space in Berlin and learn more about plasma physics and fusion research.

The 23rd FIFA World Cup starts today!   The researchers from our institute featured in this video represent the international teamwork that is essential in both football and in fusion research. We wish all participating teams good luck! #worldcup #worldcup2026

„Ein Wissenschaftler ist im Labor nicht nur Techniker – er ist auch ein Kind“ – Marie Curie Zum Internationalen Kindertag laden wir zu „Türen auf mit der Maus“ ein: Am 3.10. öffnen wir in Garching die Tore für Jung und Alt. Anmeldung: https://www.wdrmaus.de/tuer_oeffner_tag/2026/index.php5

Our Cryo Group has started to cool down the Wendelstein 7-X cryostat in preparation for the next operation phase (OP2.4) which is due to begin in September.

Until Friday, Regensburg is the hub of fusion research: the marinaforum is hosting the 27th International Conference on Plasma-Surface Interactions in Controlled Fusion Devices. Almost 400 participants from 27 countries and three continents are there.

To celebrate the International Day of Light, we take a look inside the vacuum vessel of Wendelstein 7-X. We see a close-up of a plasma discharge. This pink glow is caused by charged particles colliding and releasing the energy they have absorbed in form of light. #InternationalDayOfLight

Congratulations to Prof. Hartmut Zohm, IPP Director in Garching, on receiving the Ernst Mach Honorary Medal from the Czech Academy of Sciences in Prague — honouring his lifelong contributions to plasma physics, fusion research and international collaboration. #fusionenergy #physics

We just can’t get enough of such cool photos! Following a break for maintenance and refurbishment, our ASDEX Upgrade tokamak in Garching was brought back online two weeks ago. The 360-degree photo was taken shortly before the vessel was sealed. Photo: MPI for Plasma Physics, Simon Heckmair

Congratulations to Tim Happel on his appointment as Professor at the Technical University of Munich. Since 1 April 2026, IPP Director Prof. Dr Tim Happel has held the newly created Chair of Plasma Dynamics at TUM. #fusionenergy #nuclearfusion

300,000 pulses at GLADIS — and the next step is bigger: a €3.2M upgrade will extend tests from seconds to up to 30 minutes. That matters for SPARC studies, fusion wall components and future steady-state power plants. #fusionenergy #nuclearfusion

This week at IPP: STEM students curious about fusion get a closer look at the field.

Die Schließung des Plasmagefäßes nach einer Wartungsphase ist immer ein magischer Moment für das Team. Heute war es wieder soweit. Danke an das fantastische Team! #kernfusion #fusionenergy #nuclearfusion #engineering #science #physics #physik #wissenschaft

IPP, Bavarian State Government, Proxima Fusion and RWE sign memorandum of understanding for a demonstration stellarator Alpha and more. www.ipp.mpg.de/mou26en

IPP, Bavarian State Government, Proxima Fusion and RWE sign memorandum of understanding

ipp.mpg.de