The Particle Physics Group at the Institute of Physics, Academia Sinica (AS), expects to host students to conduct research on campus in summer of 2023, as part of the PG2023 Summer Program within the PIRE-GEMADARC program. Candidate research projects and their respective supervisors are listed as follows.
We expect students would be based at the AS campus during the period of May 23 to early July, supported by the GEMADARC Program. Extended stay till end of August (and following a maximum of 90 days from Entry due to visa regulations) with additional support by AS is possible, upon mutual agreement with supervisors.
Further inquiries can be made to the coordinator Dr. Henry T Wong at email: htwong@phys.sinica.edu.tw .
1. Characterization and Pulse Shape Analysis of Germanium Detectors with sub - keV Sensitivities
Faculty Supervisor : Dr. Henry T Wong
Germanium detectors with sub - keV sensitivities have been used in the studies of low energy neutrino physics as well as in dark matter and axion searches. We will perform characterization and test pulser calibration measurements with the latest upgrades of these detectors. We will also further advance pulse shape analysis techniques to differentiate between physics events located at the bulk or surface of these detectors, as well as electronic noise events near electronic pedestal threshold.
2. Searches of Beyond - Standard - Model physics with Germanium Detectors with sub - keV Sensitivities.
Faculty Supervisor : Dr. Henry T Wong
Low background data with germanium detectors with O(100 eV) threshold have been taken by the TEXONO experiment at the Kuo - Sheng Reactor Neutrino Laboratory, and by the CDEX experiment at the China Jinping Underground Laboratory. They are valuable to be used in searches for various scenarios of physics beyond Standard Model, especially those with signatures requiring good threshold and/or low threshold. We will perform simulation studies, data analysis and derivation of physics constraints on some of these models.
3. Development of Resistive plate chambers
Faculty Supervisors : Dr. Wen-Chen Chang; Dr. Ming-Lee Chu
Resistive Plate Chambers (RPCs) are gaseous parallel - plate detectors with good spatial resolution and a superb time resolution comparable to that of scintillators. Since the cost of its manufacture is relatively low, RPCs have been the popular choice of the charged particle tracking and particle identification. We will develop a prototype of RPCs with the new features of adopting the plate soft glass and replacing the carbon sheet by the PCB copper strip. With the success of these new approaches, we look forward to significant improvement in the efficiency and reliability of detector assembly.
4. Design of muon - identification detector
Faculty Supervisor : Dr. Wen-Chen Chang
To carry out the measurement of exclusive Drell - Yan processes in E50 experiment at J - PARC, Japan, we are going to build up a muon - identification (muID) detector. This detector is composed of tracking device for charged particles, and stopping materials for hadrons. The design is to be optimized in term of stopping power of hadrons, good rejection of decay - in - fly mesons, as well as the proper penetration of muon tracks. We will study the design of muID detector using the GEANT4 simulation package.
5. Simulating collective flavor conversions of neutrinos
Faculty Supervisor : Dr. Meng-Ru Wu ; Dr. Soumya Bhattacharyya ; Dr. Manu George
Neutrinos play critical roles in explosive and neutrino-dense astrophysical environments such as core-collapse supernovae and binary neutron star mergers. Earlier studies revealed that certain collective oscillation phenomena should occur in the central regions of these events and may largely affect several related and important physical processes and the detection of supernova neutrinos. However, understanding of these collective phenomena remains elusive due to the nonlinear and anisotropic nature of the problem, and requires advanced computational modeling. In this project, we will aim to learn and improve the simulation code "Collective oscillation simulation engine for neutrinos (COSEnu)" which deals with the multidimensional transport of dense neutrinos gas, and explore how different physics inputs and assumptions affect the outcome of collective neutrino flavor oscillations.
6. Radiation detectors for medical applications
Faculty Supervisor : Dr. Chih-hsun Lin
In high - energy experiments, several types of detectors are used to detect particle trajectories, energies and speeds. Those detectors also have many medical applications, including imaging in medical diagnosis and assurances in radiation therapy. In this summer research session, we will show you the principle of different types of detectors and their medical applications. We will also provide hand - on training to operate at least one type of detector to measure physics quantities.
7. Application of GPU and Machine Learning for proton therapy and biomedical imaging analysis with Big Data
Faculty Supervisor : Dr. Eric Yen, Dr. Chih-hsun Lin
Adopting technologies for nano-second time scale and micrometer spatial scale gamma-ray imaging over a large detection area developed in experimental particle physics to collect big data in real time during proton therapy and integrating with artificial intelligence analysis of on online and offline data with fast GPU computing, the therapy can be personalized to improve the efficiency and quality of treatments significantly. The study aims to accelerate the simulation by GPU computing based on Geant4. We also hope to build up a prototype to be able to learn from more test datasets progressively in considering the beam parameters as well as personal characteristics.
8. Gravitational Physics - Improvement of feedback parameter estimation method for active damping cryogenic system in ASGRAF
Faculty Supervisor : Dr. Yuki Inoue , National Central University & Academia Sinica
We have achieved in earlier studies to develop a digital feedback system, which can mitigate the vibration of cryogenic system with active feedback method. All feedback processes are managed by real -time computer control. There is much room on sensitivity improvement with optimal choices of parameters. By using python software, we will develop the automatic optimization software and develop the control tests.
9. Gravitational Physics - Development of Michelson interferometer sensor for Mechanical loss measurement system
Faculty Supervisor : Dr. Yuki Inoue , National Central University & Academia Sinica
We have developed in earlier studies the photo detector for the length sensing. However, crosstalk of this sensor limit the accuracy of diagonalization for feedback control. To upgrade this system, Michelson type interferometer is essential to measure the length with less crosstalk. In this study, we will test the basic control techniques with the mechanical loss system in ASGRAF.
10. Gravitational Physics - Cooling test of Silicon wafer for mechanical loss measurement system
Faculty Supervisor : Dr. Yuki Inoue , National Central University & Academia Sinica
Mechanical loss measurement system for mirror coating wafer are currently developed to operate in room temperature. The next step will be to install the system in cryogenic system. One of the important studies is the temperature measurement of 3 silicon wafer with temperature sensors at around 4K at the ASGRAF system.
