Ursel Fantz

Ursel Fantz is an apl. Professor (Associate Professor) in the Institute of Physics at the University of Augsburg, Germany, within the Faculty of Mathematics, Natural Sciences, and Materials Engineering. She leads research in experimental plasma physics, focusing on negative hydrogen ion sources for fusion applications, particularly for the ITER and DEMO neutral beam injection (NBI) systems. Her work spans fundamental plasma diagnostics, spectroscopy, surface physics, and engineering development.

Her research interests include experimental plasma physics, fusion energy, negative ion sources, plasma diagnostics, spectroscopy, neutral beam injection, and plasma-surface interactions. She investigates cesium dynamics, work function behavior, RF coupling, and VUV radiation in low-temperature plasmas. Her work is central to advancing the performance and reliability of large-scale ion sources for fusion reactors.

The most recent publications highlight her focus on negative ion beam photoneutralization, ultra-low work function surfaces, plasma diagnostics in the ELISE test facility, CO2 dissociation via microwave plasma, and VUV flux quantification. These reflect a strong trend toward both fundamental plasma science and applied fusion engineering, with increasing interdisciplinary work in energy and environmental applications.

She has no listed scientific awards in the provided text.

Ursel Fantz has supervised or collaborated with numerous researchers and students, as evidenced by her extensive publication record with co-authors such as Roland Friedl, Dirk Wünderlich, Stefan Briefi, and others. Her research is supported by major fusion programs and involves significant grant-funded projects related to ITER and DEMO. She is a key contributor to international collaborations in fusion research.

She is actively involved with major experimental facilities such as ELISE (Extraction from a Large Ion Source Experiment), BATMAN Upgrade, and the ITER NBI test facility. These labs focus on developing and testing large-scale negative ion sources under conditions relevant to future fusion reactors.