The Garching campus of the Max-Planck-Institut für Plasmaphysik (IPP) is the main site, founded in 1960, specializing in tokamak fusion research. It operates the ASDEX Upgrade tokamak, one of the world's leading fusion experiments, and hosts the Programme Management Unit of EUROfusion. Research here advances the understanding of magnetic confinement of high-temperature plasmas essential for fusion power plants. The campus supports approximately 700 staff members engaged in cutting-edge plasma physics studies, with close collaborations with Technical University of Munich.
Graduate education is provided through the International Max Planck Research School (IMPRS) on Plasma Physics, offering PhD programs and training in experimental and theoretical plasma physics specifically leveraging the ASDEX Upgrade facility.
The Greifswald campus, established in 1994 as the Teilinstitut Greifswald, specializes in stellarator fusion research. It is home to Wendelstein 7-X, the world's largest stellarator, designed to demonstrate the viability of stellarators for continuous fusion operation. With around 450 staff, the site focuses on optimizing twisted magnetic fields for plasma confinement, aiming for quasi-steady-state fusion conditions. Strong ties exist with the University of Greifswald's Physics Department, including joint professorships.
Advanced training includes PhD programs via IMPRS and collaborative graduate schools, emphasizing stellarator-specific experiments and simulations at Wendelstein 7-X.
