Experimental Astro-Particle Physics

Course with Participations of Group Members

Offers for Theses in the Group

CRESST: Freezing cold, deep underground, illuminating the dark (matter)

The CRESST (Cryogenic Rare-Event Search with Superconducting Thermometers) experiment operated at the Gran Sasso underground laboratory employs highly sensitive cryogenic detectors to the search for signals of the elusive dark matter particles, a main ingredient of the Universe whose nature is still unknown. 

The energy thresholds reached in CRESST-III are the lowest in the field, making CRESST the most sensitive experiment to light dark matter. Optimisation of the tungsten thin-film thermometers and of the techniques for data analysis promise will further improve the energy threshold, which will significantly boost the physics reach of the experiment.

 

A student can contribute to:

- design, production and prototyping of new CRESST detectors in Munich 

- development of high purity crystals 

- development of new software tools for data analysis

- dark matter data analysis

 

and, if interested, can participate in the operation of the main experiment at Gran Sasso. 

 

The theses can be carried out at the Chair for astroparticle physics of the Physics Department and/or at the Max-Planck-Institute for Physics (MPP). Supervision at the Physics Deptartment by Prof. Schönert / Dr. Strauss and at the MPP by Prof. Schönert /  Dr. Federica Petricca. Please contact schoenert@ph.tum.de, raimund.strauss@ph.tum.de and petricca@mpp.mpg.de for further information. 

 

We will organize a dedicated meeting for interested (bachelor) students on Wednesday, February 1, 14:00-16:00. For more information please check at https://www.moodle.tum.de/course/view.php?id=85828 and register. Also, please send an email to schoenert@ph.tum.de and add your name to here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/14U-KQA-z-QCrTRaDm6SSNjrUNbmsCv9qe1k6wbGNSus/edit?usp=sharing . Also students interested in a master thesis project are welcome to join the meeting.

suitable as

• Bachelor’s Thesis Physics

Supervisor: Stefan Schönert

LEGEND: Why does matter prevail over antimatter in today's Universe?

Neutrinos were discovered in 1956, but only at the turn of the millennium was it experimentally proven that the three known neutrino types can convert into one another. These flavor oscillations are possible only if neutrinos have nonzero mass, which is currently the only established contradiction to the standard model (SM) of particle physics.

 

From tritium beta decay experiments and cosmological observations, we know that their masses are very small—less than 10^{-5} of the electron mass. Neutrinos are the only fundamental spin-1/2 particles (fermions) without electric charge. As a consequence, they might be Majorana fermions, particles identical to their antiparticles.

 

This is a key ingredient for the explanation for why matter is so much more abundant than antimatter in today’s Universe and why neutrinos are so much lighter than the other elementary particles.

 

Majorana neutrinos would lead to nuclear decays that violate lepton number conservation and are therefore forbidden in the Standard Model of particle physics. The so-called neutrinoless double-beta (0nbb) decay simultaneously transforms two neutrons inside a nucleus into two protons with the emission of two electrons. The LEGEND-200 experiment, currently under commissioning at the Italian Gran Sasso underground laboratory aims to be the first experiment to probe half-lives beyond 1E27 years.

 

We offer the opportunity to carry out exciting experimental BSc (and MSc) theses with a focus on:

- liquid argon detector development: SiPMs, VUV light detection and wavelength shifting, xenon-doping, trace analysis;

- germanium detectors: detector design, modeling of signal generation, pulse shape analysis, surface event discrimination;

- new software tools and algorithms: classical techniques, machine learning methods;

- data analysis: rare line searches, exotic decays, time and spatial coincidence searches;

- Monte Carlo simulations: light propagation and detection in liquid argon, gamma rays from radioactive decays, isotope production deep underground by cosmic rays;

 

and, if interested, can participate in the operation of the main experiment at Gran Sasso. 

 

You would be fully integrated into the research team and would work closely together with our international partners.

 

The theses can be carried out at the Chair for astroparticle physics of the Physics Department. Supervision at the Physics Deptartment by Prof. Schönert and his team. Please contact schoenert@ph.tum.de for further information. 

 

We will organize a dedicated meeting for interested bachelor students on Wednesday, February 1, 14:00-16:00. For more information please check (https://www.moodle.tum.de/course/view.php?id=85828). Until then, please send an email to schoenert@ph.tum.de and add your name at this document https://docs.google.com/document/d/14U-KQA-z-QCrTRaDm6SSNjrUNbmsCv9qe1k6wbGNSus/edit?usp=sharing . Also students interested in a master thesis are welcome to join.

suitable as

• Bachelor’s Thesis Physics

Supervisor: Stefan Schönert

Current and Finished Theses in the Group