Between May and August 2022 as part of my masters programme ‘The Science and Technology of Nuclear Fusion’ at Eindhoven University of Technology I conducted an external internship at General Atomics in San Diego, California.

General Atomics operates one of the most advanced currently running Tokamak based experiments. Here I worked on the implementation of the doppler shifted spectroscopy diagnostic of the neutral beam system. Using Doppler shifted light obtained from the beam lines we were able to identify the species of particles that were generated by the running ion sources.

This was one of my first experimental projects and I learned a lot from it. For example, how small problems crop up and ruin your measurement results. It was also very interesting to see how a research institute operates.

I thoroughly enjoyed the experience of living in San Diego, the weather was always amazing and the people were very hospitable. There are a lot of hiking trails in the area and the ocean is always just around the corner. After my internship I stayed a few weeks to explore the surrounding areas such as Los Angles, and Joshua tree National Park.

I’d like to thank my supervisor at General Atomics, Brendan Crowley, my academic supervisor, Roger Jaspers, and Fusenet for making this experience possible.