Project acronym BEAM-EDM
Project Unique Method for a Neutron Electric Dipole Moment Search using a Pulsed Beam
Researcher (PI) Florian Michael PIEGSA
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITAET BERN
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE2, ERC-2016-STG
Summary My research encompasses the application of novel methods and strategies in the field of low energy particle physics. The goal of the presented program is to lead an independent and highly competitive experiment to search for a CP violating neutron electric dipole moment (nEDM), as well as for new exotic interactions using highly sensitive neutron and proton spin resonance techniques.
The measurement of the nEDM is considered to be one of the most important fundamental physics experiments at low energy. It represents a promising route for finding new physics beyond the standard model (SM) and describes an important search for new sources of CP violation in order to understand the observed large baryon asymmetry in our universe. The main project will follow a novel concept based on my original idea, which plans to employ a pulsed neutron beam at high intensity instead of the established use of storable ultracold neutrons. This complementary and potentially ground-breaking method provides the possibility to distinguish between the signal due to a nEDM and previously limiting systematic effects, and should lead to an improved result compared to the present best nEDM beam experiment. The findings of these investigations will be of paramount importance and will form the cornerstone for the success of the full-scale experiment intended for the European Spallation Source. A second scientific question will be addressed by performing spin precession experiments searching for exotic short-range interactions and associated light bosons. This is a vivid field of research motivated by various extensions to the SM. The goal of these measurements, using neutrons and protons, is to search for additional interactions such new bosons mediate between ordinary particles.
Both topics describe ambitious and unique efforts. They use related techniques, address important questions in fundamental physics, and have the potential of substantial scientific implications and high-impact results.
Summary
My research encompasses the application of novel methods and strategies in the field of low energy particle physics. The goal of the presented program is to lead an independent and highly competitive experiment to search for a CP violating neutron electric dipole moment (nEDM), as well as for new exotic interactions using highly sensitive neutron and proton spin resonance techniques.
The measurement of the nEDM is considered to be one of the most important fundamental physics experiments at low energy. It represents a promising route for finding new physics beyond the standard model (SM) and describes an important search for new sources of CP violation in order to understand the observed large baryon asymmetry in our universe. The main project will follow a novel concept based on my original idea, which plans to employ a pulsed neutron beam at high intensity instead of the established use of storable ultracold neutrons. This complementary and potentially ground-breaking method provides the possibility to distinguish between the signal due to a nEDM and previously limiting systematic effects, and should lead to an improved result compared to the present best nEDM beam experiment. The findings of these investigations will be of paramount importance and will form the cornerstone for the success of the full-scale experiment intended for the European Spallation Source. A second scientific question will be addressed by performing spin precession experiments searching for exotic short-range interactions and associated light bosons. This is a vivid field of research motivated by various extensions to the SM. The goal of these measurements, using neutrons and protons, is to search for additional interactions such new bosons mediate between ordinary particles.
Both topics describe ambitious and unique efforts. They use related techniques, address important questions in fundamental physics, and have the potential of substantial scientific implications and high-impact results.
Max ERC Funding
1 404 062 €
Duration
Start date: 2017-04-01, End date: 2022-03-31
Project acronym DECCA
Project Devices, engines and circuits: quantum engineering with cold atoms
Researcher (PI) Jean-Philippe BRANTUT
Host Institution (HI) ECOLE POLYTECHNIQUE FEDERALE DE LAUSANNE
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE2, ERC-2016-STG
Summary Over the last decade, cold atomic gases have become one of the best controlled quantum system. This novel, synthetic material can be shaped at the microscopic level to mimic a wide range of models, and simulate the universal physics that these models describe. This project pioneers a new approach to quantum simulations, jumping from cold atoms materials into the realm of devices: systems carved out of cold gases, separated by interfaces, connected to each other and allowing for a controlled driving.
At the heart of this approach is the study of transport of atoms at the quantum level. Our devices will allow for the measurement of the universal conductance of quantum critical systems or other many-body states. They will feature interfaces and contacts where new types of localized states emerge, such as the one proposed to explain the long-standing question of the “0.7 anomaly” in quantum point contacts. They will also allow for a new type of engineering, where currents of particles, spin or entropy can be controlled and directed in order to perform operations such as cooling.
This research will be possible thanks to the development of a new apparatus, capable of detecting in a non-destructive way tiny atomic currents, such as the one driven through single mode quantum conductors. It will combine an optical cavity for high efficiency optical detection, and high optical resolution optics allowing for manipulations and patterning at the scale of the wave function of individual particles.
Summary
Over the last decade, cold atomic gases have become one of the best controlled quantum system. This novel, synthetic material can be shaped at the microscopic level to mimic a wide range of models, and simulate the universal physics that these models describe. This project pioneers a new approach to quantum simulations, jumping from cold atoms materials into the realm of devices: systems carved out of cold gases, separated by interfaces, connected to each other and allowing for a controlled driving.
At the heart of this approach is the study of transport of atoms at the quantum level. Our devices will allow for the measurement of the universal conductance of quantum critical systems or other many-body states. They will feature interfaces and contacts where new types of localized states emerge, such as the one proposed to explain the long-standing question of the “0.7 anomaly” in quantum point contacts. They will also allow for a new type of engineering, where currents of particles, spin or entropy can be controlled and directed in order to perform operations such as cooling.
This research will be possible thanks to the development of a new apparatus, capable of detecting in a non-destructive way tiny atomic currents, such as the one driven through single mode quantum conductors. It will combine an optical cavity for high efficiency optical detection, and high optical resolution optics allowing for manipulations and patterning at the scale of the wave function of individual particles.
Max ERC Funding
1 454 258 €
Duration
Start date: 2017-02-01, End date: 2022-01-31
Project acronym DIMO6FIT
Project DIMO6FIT: Extending the Standard Model -- Global Fits of Optimal Variables in Diboson Production
Researcher (PI) Kristin LOHWASSER
Host Institution (HI) THE UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELD
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE2, ERC-2016-STG
Summary The status quo of particle physics after the first data taking at the Large Hadron Collider is: a light Higgs particle has been discovered that is perfectly compatible with the electroweak Standard Model (SM). While this is undoubtedly a historic step in particle physics, it is not entirely satisfactory, as in its current state the SM leaves many questions unanswered.
If the Standard Model of today is just the low energy theory of more complex phenomena, then these phenomena will become manifest in modifications of the cross sections and differential distributions of known processes. These modifications can be described by higher dimensional operators, which are general extensions of the SM and can be tested using precision measurements of diboson production processes.
The DIMO6Fit project will focus on measuring those production processes most sensitive to the new physics effects, using innovative analysis techniques aimed at significantly reducing the debilitating limitations in current measurements. I will set up a novel combined global fit for determining the higher dimensional operators coherently based on the LHC measurements.
The full determination of the higher dimensional operators will be the first global precision test of general extensions to the SM. The ERC Starting Grant will make it possible to bring together a team that will conduct more efficient measurements then today at the ATLAS experiment, that will establish the framework for new precision tests, and will generate results of yet unforeseeable potential. With DIMO6FIT I will establish an exciting programme aiming at determining the higher dimensional operators, which will help uncover new physics and elucidate its nature. These novel studies will form a unique and significant contribution to the understanding of the fundamental interactions of known and possibly yet unknown particles.
Summary
The status quo of particle physics after the first data taking at the Large Hadron Collider is: a light Higgs particle has been discovered that is perfectly compatible with the electroweak Standard Model (SM). While this is undoubtedly a historic step in particle physics, it is not entirely satisfactory, as in its current state the SM leaves many questions unanswered.
If the Standard Model of today is just the low energy theory of more complex phenomena, then these phenomena will become manifest in modifications of the cross sections and differential distributions of known processes. These modifications can be described by higher dimensional operators, which are general extensions of the SM and can be tested using precision measurements of diboson production processes.
The DIMO6Fit project will focus on measuring those production processes most sensitive to the new physics effects, using innovative analysis techniques aimed at significantly reducing the debilitating limitations in current measurements. I will set up a novel combined global fit for determining the higher dimensional operators coherently based on the LHC measurements.
The full determination of the higher dimensional operators will be the first global precision test of general extensions to the SM. The ERC Starting Grant will make it possible to bring together a team that will conduct more efficient measurements then today at the ATLAS experiment, that will establish the framework for new precision tests, and will generate results of yet unforeseeable potential. With DIMO6FIT I will establish an exciting programme aiming at determining the higher dimensional operators, which will help uncover new physics and elucidate its nature. These novel studies will form a unique and significant contribution to the understanding of the fundamental interactions of known and possibly yet unknown particles.
Max ERC Funding
1 497 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2017-02-01, End date: 2022-01-31
Project acronym ExclusiveHiggs
Project Search for New Physics in First and Second Generation Quark Yukawa Couplings through Rare Exclusive Decays of the Observed Higgs Boson
Researcher (PI) Konstantinos NIKOLOPOULOS
Host Institution (HI) THE UNIVERSITY OF BIRMINGHAM
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE2, ERC-2016-STG
Summary Following the discovery of a Higgs boson with a mass of about 125 GeV, a detailed set of property measurements has confirmed that it plays a central role in the spontaneous breaking of the electroweak symmetry.
Nevertheless, its role in the generation of fermion mass, in particular of the first and second generation, is still unclear. In the Standard Model (SM) this is implemented in an ad hoc manner through Yukawa interactions, and many beyond-the-SM theories offer rich phenomenology and exciting prospects for the discovery of New Physics in this sector.
This project will attack - for the first time - in a systematic and comprehensive way the experimentally most unconstrained sector of the SM: the couplings of the light-quarks (up, down, charm and strange) to the Higgs boson, including possible flavour-violating interactions. The rare exclusive Higgs boson decays to a meson and a photon or Z boson, which is a novel and unique approach, will be searched for with the ATLAS detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC). At the same time, an extensive set of measurements of analogous rare exclusive decays of the W and Z bosons will be performed, further enhancing the scientific value of the proposed research programme.
The expected branching ratio sensitivity of 10^{-6} for the Higgs boson decays, and 10^{-9} for the W and Z boson decays will probe viable New Physics models, and in several cases will reach and surpass the SM predictions. This project will lead to a profound extension of the ATLAS and LHC physics output, going beyond what was previously considered possible. It will open a new line of research in the Higgs sector, providing relevant input to many different areas of frontier research, including particle cosmology and planning for possible future particle physics facilities.
Summary
Following the discovery of a Higgs boson with a mass of about 125 GeV, a detailed set of property measurements has confirmed that it plays a central role in the spontaneous breaking of the electroweak symmetry.
Nevertheless, its role in the generation of fermion mass, in particular of the first and second generation, is still unclear. In the Standard Model (SM) this is implemented in an ad hoc manner through Yukawa interactions, and many beyond-the-SM theories offer rich phenomenology and exciting prospects for the discovery of New Physics in this sector.
This project will attack - for the first time - in a systematic and comprehensive way the experimentally most unconstrained sector of the SM: the couplings of the light-quarks (up, down, charm and strange) to the Higgs boson, including possible flavour-violating interactions. The rare exclusive Higgs boson decays to a meson and a photon or Z boson, which is a novel and unique approach, will be searched for with the ATLAS detector at the CERN Large Hadron Collider (LHC). At the same time, an extensive set of measurements of analogous rare exclusive decays of the W and Z bosons will be performed, further enhancing the scientific value of the proposed research programme.
The expected branching ratio sensitivity of 10^{-6} for the Higgs boson decays, and 10^{-9} for the W and Z boson decays will probe viable New Physics models, and in several cases will reach and surpass the SM predictions. This project will lead to a profound extension of the ATLAS and LHC physics output, going beyond what was previously considered possible. It will open a new line of research in the Higgs sector, providing relevant input to many different areas of frontier research, including particle cosmology and planning for possible future particle physics facilities.
Max ERC Funding
1 499 945 €
Duration
Start date: 2017-03-01, End date: 2022-02-28
Project acronym HyperMu
Project Hyperfine splittings in muonic atoms and laser technology
Researcher (PI) Aldo Sady ANTOGNINI
Host Institution (HI) PAUL SCHERRER INSTITUT
Call Details Consolidator Grant (CoG), PE2, ERC-2016-COG
Summary The proton radius extracted from the measurements of the 2S-2P energy splitting in muonic hydrogen
(μp) has attracted great attention because of a 7σ discrepancy with the values extracted from
electron scattering and hydrogen (H) spectroscopy. Hundreds of publications have been devoted to the
so called “proton radius puzzle” ranging from studies of physics beyond the standard model, to reanalysis
of electron scattering data, refinements of bound-state QED calculations, new theories describing
the proton structure, and proposals for new scattering and H spectroscopy experiments.
As next step, I plan two new (i.e., never before attempted) measurements: the ground-state hyperfine
splitting (1S-HFS) in both μp and μ3He+ with 1 ppm relative accuracy by means of pulsed laser
spectroscopy. From these measurements the nuclear-structure contributions (two-photon-exchange)
can be extracted with a relative accuracy of 100 ppm which in turn can be used to extract the corresponding
Zemach radii (with a relative accuracy of 0.1%) and polarizability contributions. The Zemach radii
can provide magnetic radii when form-factor data or models are assumed.
These radii are benchmarks for lattice QCD and few-nucleon theories. With the polarizability contribution
they impact our models of the proton and of the 3He nucleus. Moreover, the μp measurement
can be used to solve the discrepancy between the magnetic radii values as extracted from polarized and
unpolarized electron scattering and to further test bound-state QED predictions of the 1S-HFS in H.
These two experiments require a muon beam line, a target with an optical cavity, detector, and laser
systems. As weak M1 transitions must be probed, large laser-pulse energies are needed, thus cutting-edge
laser technologies (mainly thin-disk laser and parametric down-conversion) need to be developed.
Laser schemes of potentially high industrial impact that I have just patented will be implemented and
refined.
Summary
The proton radius extracted from the measurements of the 2S-2P energy splitting in muonic hydrogen
(μp) has attracted great attention because of a 7σ discrepancy with the values extracted from
electron scattering and hydrogen (H) spectroscopy. Hundreds of publications have been devoted to the
so called “proton radius puzzle” ranging from studies of physics beyond the standard model, to reanalysis
of electron scattering data, refinements of bound-state QED calculations, new theories describing
the proton structure, and proposals for new scattering and H spectroscopy experiments.
As next step, I plan two new (i.e., never before attempted) measurements: the ground-state hyperfine
splitting (1S-HFS) in both μp and μ3He+ with 1 ppm relative accuracy by means of pulsed laser
spectroscopy. From these measurements the nuclear-structure contributions (two-photon-exchange)
can be extracted with a relative accuracy of 100 ppm which in turn can be used to extract the corresponding
Zemach radii (with a relative accuracy of 0.1%) and polarizability contributions. The Zemach radii
can provide magnetic radii when form-factor data or models are assumed.
These radii are benchmarks for lattice QCD and few-nucleon theories. With the polarizability contribution
they impact our models of the proton and of the 3He nucleus. Moreover, the μp measurement
can be used to solve the discrepancy between the magnetic radii values as extracted from polarized and
unpolarized electron scattering and to further test bound-state QED predictions of the 1S-HFS in H.
These two experiments require a muon beam line, a target with an optical cavity, detector, and laser
systems. As weak M1 transitions must be probed, large laser-pulse energies are needed, thus cutting-edge
laser technologies (mainly thin-disk laser and parametric down-conversion) need to be developed.
Laser schemes of potentially high industrial impact that I have just patented will be implemented and
refined.
Max ERC Funding
1 999 926 €
Duration
Start date: 2017-10-01, End date: 2022-09-30
Project acronym QCDforfuture
Project QCD for the Future of Particle Physics
Researcher (PI) Jennifer SMILLIE
Host Institution (HI) THE UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE2, ERC-2016-STG
Summary The momentous discovery of the Higgs boson in 2012 marked the start of a new era in particle physics. The increase in energy of collisions at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) this year allows us to probe fundamental physics at an energy
scale which has been out of reach until now. This presents a challenge to particle theory to keep pace with these developments, and respond to the fact that Standard Model interactions will have different features in this new energy range. We must understand these differences in order to extract as much information as possible from LHC data, and in particular to identify any signs of new physics. My framework, High Energy Jets, is the only tool of its kind to include the dominant high-energy corrections to all orders in the strong coupling and these have already been shown to be necessary to describe data at the lower collisions energies of 7 and 8 TeV. However, these corrections alone are not enough.
My proposed research programme will develop a novel and powerful framework for theoretical predictions based on the lessons learned from LHC Run I. In particular it will combine the necessary high-energy corrections with state-of-the-art next-to-leading-order (NLO) fixed-order descriptions. A separate objective is to combine the high-energy corrections with the resummation contained in parton shower programs. This is necessary to describe data in regions where there is both evolution in rapidity and transverse momentum. The ultimate goal is to combine all three: high-energy corrections, NLO calculation and parton shower. Separate theoretical objectives will significantly improve our understanding of the underlying theory, which should ultimately enhance our description of data far beyond any current prediction. This will be the most complete description of quantum chromodynamics at colliders to date, and will be essential for the exploitation of future data from the LHC and beyond.
Summary
The momentous discovery of the Higgs boson in 2012 marked the start of a new era in particle physics. The increase in energy of collisions at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) this year allows us to probe fundamental physics at an energy
scale which has been out of reach until now. This presents a challenge to particle theory to keep pace with these developments, and respond to the fact that Standard Model interactions will have different features in this new energy range. We must understand these differences in order to extract as much information as possible from LHC data, and in particular to identify any signs of new physics. My framework, High Energy Jets, is the only tool of its kind to include the dominant high-energy corrections to all orders in the strong coupling and these have already been shown to be necessary to describe data at the lower collisions energies of 7 and 8 TeV. However, these corrections alone are not enough.
My proposed research programme will develop a novel and powerful framework for theoretical predictions based on the lessons learned from LHC Run I. In particular it will combine the necessary high-energy corrections with state-of-the-art next-to-leading-order (NLO) fixed-order descriptions. A separate objective is to combine the high-energy corrections with the resummation contained in parton shower programs. This is necessary to describe data in regions where there is both evolution in rapidity and transverse momentum. The ultimate goal is to combine all three: high-energy corrections, NLO calculation and parton shower. Separate theoretical objectives will significantly improve our understanding of the underlying theory, which should ultimately enhance our description of data far beyond any current prediction. This will be the most complete description of quantum chromodynamics at colliders to date, and will be essential for the exploitation of future data from the LHC and beyond.
Max ERC Funding
1 438 003 €
Duration
Start date: 2017-01-01, End date: 2022-11-30
Project acronym Quasicrystal
Project An Optical Quasicrystal for ultracold atoms
Researcher (PI) Ulrich Walter SCHNEIDER
Host Institution (HI) THE CHANCELLOR MASTERS AND SCHOLARS OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE
Call Details Starting Grant (StG), PE2, ERC-2016-STG
Summary During the last fifteen years, ultracold atoms in optical lattices have emerged as a powerful model system to study the many-body physics of interacting particles in periodic potentials. The main objective of this proposal is to extend this level of control to quasiperiodic potentials by realizing an optical quasicrystal.
Quasicrystals are a novel form of condensed matter that is non-periodic, but long-range ordered. They have first been observed in the 1980s by Dan Shechtman in diffraction experiments. Quasicrystals give rise to a pattern of sharp Bragg peaks, similar to periodic crystals, but with rotational symmetries that are impossible for periodic structures. Their structure was found to be given by aperiodic tilings with more than one unit cell, such as the celebrated Penrose tiling.
Even though quasicrystals are long-range ordered, many foundational concepts of periodic condensed matter systems such as Blochwaves or Brillouin zones are not applicable. This places them on an interesting middle ground between periodic and disordered systems and highlights their potential for novel many-body physics.
We will first characterize the optical quasicrystal using Kapitza-Dirac diffraction, and then study their unusual transport properties and relaxation dynamics after quantum quenches in the presence of interactions. We will additionally look for interesting novel phases at strong interactions and investigate the topological properties of quasiperiodic potentials.
Building on my substantial expertise with optical lattices, I thus plan to build a versatile quantum simulator for the physics of quasicrystals by combining a non-periodic optical potential with ultracold Rubidium and Potassium gases.
Summary
During the last fifteen years, ultracold atoms in optical lattices have emerged as a powerful model system to study the many-body physics of interacting particles in periodic potentials. The main objective of this proposal is to extend this level of control to quasiperiodic potentials by realizing an optical quasicrystal.
Quasicrystals are a novel form of condensed matter that is non-periodic, but long-range ordered. They have first been observed in the 1980s by Dan Shechtman in diffraction experiments. Quasicrystals give rise to a pattern of sharp Bragg peaks, similar to periodic crystals, but with rotational symmetries that are impossible for periodic structures. Their structure was found to be given by aperiodic tilings with more than one unit cell, such as the celebrated Penrose tiling.
Even though quasicrystals are long-range ordered, many foundational concepts of periodic condensed matter systems such as Blochwaves or Brillouin zones are not applicable. This places them on an interesting middle ground between periodic and disordered systems and highlights their potential for novel many-body physics.
We will first characterize the optical quasicrystal using Kapitza-Dirac diffraction, and then study their unusual transport properties and relaxation dynamics after quantum quenches in the presence of interactions. We will additionally look for interesting novel phases at strong interactions and investigate the topological properties of quasiperiodic potentials.
Building on my substantial expertise with optical lattices, I thus plan to build a versatile quantum simulator for the physics of quasicrystals by combining a non-periodic optical potential with ultracold Rubidium and Potassium gases.
Max ERC Funding
1 499 086 €
Duration
Start date: 2017-01-01, End date: 2021-12-31
Project acronym TransQ
Project Mass, heat and spin transport in interlinked quantum gases
Researcher (PI) Tilman Holger ESSLINGER
Host Institution (HI) EIDGENOESSISCHE TECHNISCHE HOCHSCHULE ZUERICH
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), PE2, ERC-2016-ADG
Summary The objective of the proposed project is to create a versatile experimental and methodological platform for exploring transport mechanisms with quantum gases. Our approach will enable studying the dynamics of mass, heat and spin transport between linked reservoirs with a unique degree of control and flexibility, and promises to open up a route to discovering yet-unknown transport phenomena.
Over the past two decades, ultracold atomic quantum gases have taken an increasingly lively role in the endeavour to understand quantum many-body systems, offering insights into a wide range of quantum phases and transitions between them. Recently, the approach has proven its potential to take us beyond the simulation of existing concepts and to provide a platform for probing the physics of quantum many-body systems in novel contexts. In particular, we have shown that measurements of directed transport through channels connecting atomic reservoirs not only emulate scenarios known form electronic transport in solid-state systems, but can test new experimental situations and give rise to new questions.
We now propose to establish a general quantum-gas platform for exploring a wide range of configurations for transport measurements. Specifically, we will study the non-equilibrium dynamics in systems consisting of connected fermionic quantum-gas nodes, which serve as particle reservoirs of different size, shape and dimensionality that can be individually initialized and coupled to one another using configurable links. Time-dependent drive or controlled dissipation can be applied to the nodes and links. Using such networks, we will study transport between reservoirs of different nature, probe superfluid samples with controlled particle currents, characterize transport processes at the interface of different quantum phases, search for superfluidity in driven systems, prepare and detect Majorana fermions and develop functionality in complex structures.
Summary
The objective of the proposed project is to create a versatile experimental and methodological platform for exploring transport mechanisms with quantum gases. Our approach will enable studying the dynamics of mass, heat and spin transport between linked reservoirs with a unique degree of control and flexibility, and promises to open up a route to discovering yet-unknown transport phenomena.
Over the past two decades, ultracold atomic quantum gases have taken an increasingly lively role in the endeavour to understand quantum many-body systems, offering insights into a wide range of quantum phases and transitions between them. Recently, the approach has proven its potential to take us beyond the simulation of existing concepts and to provide a platform for probing the physics of quantum many-body systems in novel contexts. In particular, we have shown that measurements of directed transport through channels connecting atomic reservoirs not only emulate scenarios known form electronic transport in solid-state systems, but can test new experimental situations and give rise to new questions.
We now propose to establish a general quantum-gas platform for exploring a wide range of configurations for transport measurements. Specifically, we will study the non-equilibrium dynamics in systems consisting of connected fermionic quantum-gas nodes, which serve as particle reservoirs of different size, shape and dimensionality that can be individually initialized and coupled to one another using configurable links. Time-dependent drive or controlled dissipation can be applied to the nodes and links. Using such networks, we will study transport between reservoirs of different nature, probe superfluid samples with controlled particle currents, characterize transport processes at the interface of different quantum phases, search for superfluidity in driven systems, prepare and detect Majorana fermions and develop functionality in complex structures.
Max ERC Funding
2 500 000 €
Duration
Start date: 2017-10-01, End date: 2022-09-30
Project acronym Xenoscope
Project Towards a multi-ton xenon observatory for astroparticle physics
Researcher (PI) Laura BAUDIS
Host Institution (HI) UNIVERSITAT ZURICH
Call Details Advanced Grant (AdG), PE2, ERC-2016-ADG
Summary Dark matter is one of the greatest mysteries in the Cosmos, as its intrinsic nature is largely unknown. The identification and characterization of dark matter particles is a major endeavor in physics. XENOSCOPE will be a unique project focussed on essential, cutting-edge research towards a multi-ton dark matter detector using liquid xenon (LXe) as target material. With its low energy threshold, ultra-low backgrounds and excellent energy resolution, a LXe observatory will be highly sensitive to other rare interactions, such as from solar and supernova neutrinos, double beta decays of 136Xe, as well as from axions and axion-like particles. To design and construct a 50 t (40 t in the time projection chamber, TPC) detector, a number of critical technological challenges must first be addressed. Fundamental aspects are related to the design of the TPC, including the identification of new photosensors, the optimization of the light and charge collection (hence the energy threshold and resolution), and the minimization of radioactive backgrounds. XENOSCOPE will address all these aspects through a number of small, medium-size and a full-scale (in the z-coordinate of the TPC) prototypes. The goal is to specify the required input for the technical design of the 50 t detector, to be realized by the DARWIN consortium which the PI leads. Arrays of VUV-sensitive SiPMs will be studied as novel light sensors, and a 4-π photosensor coverage TPC will be constructed for the first time. Signal detection will be optimized for both low and high-energy readout, thus drastically increasing the dynamic range of a LXe-TPC. Low-background materials will be identified and characterized not only for the photosensors and their read-out, but for all the components of the detector. Finally, a full scale TPC in the z-dimension, 2.6 m in height, will be designed, built and operated and electron drift and extraction into the vapor phase over such large distances for the first time demonstrated.
Summary
Dark matter is one of the greatest mysteries in the Cosmos, as its intrinsic nature is largely unknown. The identification and characterization of dark matter particles is a major endeavor in physics. XENOSCOPE will be a unique project focussed on essential, cutting-edge research towards a multi-ton dark matter detector using liquid xenon (LXe) as target material. With its low energy threshold, ultra-low backgrounds and excellent energy resolution, a LXe observatory will be highly sensitive to other rare interactions, such as from solar and supernova neutrinos, double beta decays of 136Xe, as well as from axions and axion-like particles. To design and construct a 50 t (40 t in the time projection chamber, TPC) detector, a number of critical technological challenges must first be addressed. Fundamental aspects are related to the design of the TPC, including the identification of new photosensors, the optimization of the light and charge collection (hence the energy threshold and resolution), and the minimization of radioactive backgrounds. XENOSCOPE will address all these aspects through a number of small, medium-size and a full-scale (in the z-coordinate of the TPC) prototypes. The goal is to specify the required input for the technical design of the 50 t detector, to be realized by the DARWIN consortium which the PI leads. Arrays of VUV-sensitive SiPMs will be studied as novel light sensors, and a 4-π photosensor coverage TPC will be constructed for the first time. Signal detection will be optimized for both low and high-energy readout, thus drastically increasing the dynamic range of a LXe-TPC. Low-background materials will be identified and characterized not only for the photosensors and their read-out, but for all the components of the detector. Finally, a full scale TPC in the z-dimension, 2.6 m in height, will be designed, built and operated and electron drift and extraction into the vapor phase over such large distances for the first time demonstrated.
Max ERC Funding
3 344 108 €
Duration
Start date: 2017-10-01, End date: 2022-09-30
