Theses
Open thesis topics
Bachelor
- Deriving analytical test cases for magnetic field conversions
- Data visualization of multidimensional fits
- Python/Matlab interface for plasma response model on magnetic perturbations
Bachelor and Master
- Benchmark plasma response model against experimental data
- Autodifferentiation, application in stellarator optimization, and extensions towards branching codes
- Nested sampling in inverse problems of magnetic confinement fusion, for example with
UltraNest
Master
- Extending plasma response model, for example for time-dependent problems
- Benchmarking kinetic codes against individual particle tracers
- Design and building of demonstration experiments in plasma physics (technical background helpful)
- Implementing and testing new machine learning approaches for solving differential equations (Python),
details
Ongoing theses
Bachelor
- Alexandra Geishuettner: Confinement and performance scalings in small and large stellarators
- Josef Reiterer: 3D plasma boundary modeling of perturbed tokamaks with GVEC
Master
- Alex Egger: Physics consistent numerical integration in real space coordinates
- Matei Gheorghe: Adjoint Monte Carlo methods for uncertainty and sensitivity analysis
- Lukas Drescher: Finite element simulation and uncertainty quantification for magnetic field coils in fusion reactors
- Andreas Zach: Modeling of resonant and non-resonant torque for non-axisymmetric plasma responses
- Maximilian Philipp: Physics informed Gaussian process regression on experimental tokamak profiles
- Maximilian Mandlez: Automatic detection of transitions between plasma states in perturbed tokamaks
- Daniele Corrias: Optimization of alpha particle losses in stellarators
- Peter Zauner (at AEE INTEC): Heat transport in solar thermal plants
- Martin Hasenburger (at Infineon Technologies): FEM simulations of fluid mechanics
Completed theses
- Jakob Tscheppe (Bachelor, 2025): A concise introduction of symplectic integrators for Hamiltonian systems
- Manuel Brandstaetter (Master, 2025): Numerical identification of complex roots from plasma dispersion equations
- Michael Hadwiger (Master, 2024): Leveraging gradient information in Bayesian global optimization
- Markus Baumgartner-Steinleitner (Master, 2023): Fusion-electric rocket drives
- Robert Babin (at Max Planck Institute for Plasma Physics, 2023): Reconstruction and uncertainty quantification for magnetohydrodynamic equilibria
- Michael Reichelt (Master, 2023): Advanced finite element methods for perturbed magnetohydrodynamic equilibria
- Georg Grassler (Master, 2022): Adaptive integration scheme and further extensions for the guiding center orbit tracing code GORILLA
- Michael Hadwiger (Bachelor, 2021): Visualization of response data from models with high dimensional input spaces
- Georg Grassler (Bachelor, 2019): Einfuehrung in die nichtlineare Mechanik periodischer, hamiltonscher Systeme
Areas
- Theoretical plasma physics for magnetic confinement fusion
- Plasma theory and modeling
- Simulation and validation on experimental data
- Collaboration with major international labs
- Programming and data science
- Bayesian methods in data analysis
- Matlab and Python in research, teaching, and application (W. Kernbichler)
- Software engineering and testing (G. Grassler)
- Cross-disciplinary topics
- Theory, simulation, and measurements in classical mechanics, electrodynamics, and acoustics
- Design and construction of a tabletop stellarator (G. Harrer)
- Cooperation with engineering faculties and industry
