A day in the life of a fusion neutron

by Jonathan Shimwell (Proxima Fusion)

Monday 19 Jan 2026, 14:30 → 15:30 Europe/Berlin

PH HS 3 (Physics Department)

Neutrons play a central and often paradoxical role in fusion devices: they are both the primary carriers of fusion power and a major driver of material damage, activation, and engineering complexity. This talk follows the journey of a typical fusion neutron as it is born in the plasma and traverses the surrounding device, highlighting the key interactions that make neutrons simultaneously useful and inconvenient. Along the way, I will introduce some of the neutronics analyses performed at Proxima Fusion to support device design, including how neutron transport, shielding, and activation studies inform engineering decisions. Together, these examples illustrate how detailed neutronics modelling underpins the practical realization of fusion energy.