Latvia
Institute of Solid State Physics, University of Latvia (ISSP - UL)
The Institute of Solid State Physics, University of Latvia (ISSP UL) contributes to the European fusion programme since 2000 together with the associated entities at the Institute of Physics and Institute of Chemical Physics at the University of Latvia.
About 80 staff researchers, technicians, and PhD candidates conduct fusion research in Latvia.
The research team at the ISSP UL study radiation- and heat-resistant steels used in fusion reactors. Scientists are engaged in theoretical and experimental investigations to understand, control, and predict the radiation damage and stability of materials used in fusion reactors under intensive neutron and gamma radiation environment. The impurities in the plasma-facing materials are studied using laser-induced plasmaspectroscopy method.
Researchers at the Institute of Physics, UoL study the possibility of removing the heat from the reactor chamber using capillary porous media with liquid metal. They investigate material strength in the presence of liquid metal and magnetic field, and contribute to the development of IFMIF-DONES, a powerful neutron irradiation facility, by manufacturing a prototype of an electromagnetic pump.
At the Institute of Chemical Physics, UoL researchers are using unique methods and techniques to investigate tritium behaviour in plasma-facing materials and tritium breeding blanket materials: beryllium, tungsten, lithium ceramics, and carbon fibre composites.
