The RTG fellows are expected to learn about new detector technologies and innovative experimental techniques via a series of one-week workshops on campus. The workshops are designed as hands- on tutorials and are closely interlinked to the existing infrastructure at the University of Mainz, such as the PRISMA Detector Laboratory, the computing cluster Mogon or the research reactor TRIGA.
Past workshops have covered cryogenic detector systems, micro-calorimeters and scintillator detectors. The next workshop planned for October 2025 will deal with triggering hardware and techniques. Past workshops included:
Workshop on Scintillator Detectors (February 2025)
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Scintillator detectors play a crucial role in particle and astroparticle physics, where they are widely used for the detection of charged particles, gamma rays, and neutrinos. These detectors rely on scintillating materials that emit light when struck by ionizing particles. The lecture program reviewed the physics and working principles of scintillation detectors, gave an overview of the experimental fields and concrete examples of experiments based on this technology. In the afternoons, the fellows first produced samples of liquid and opaque scintillators in the lab and characterized their basic fluorescence properties. In the follow up, these scintillators were used in table-top setups to detect cosmic muons, familiarizing the fellows with both the target material and optical readout by SiPMs. |
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In 2022, Dr Stefan Schoppmann joined the PRISMA Detector Laboratory upon winning a Detector Innovation Fellowship in Mainz. He is an expert in organic scintillator detectors and in particular the use of novel detection approaches using opaque and/or hybrid scintillators. His main research focus is the application of these techniques to the search for double-beta decays in the context of the NuDoubt++ experiment. Dr Schoppmann prepared lectures and a broad hands-on program together with the team of the Detector Laboratory. |
Workshop on Cryogenic Detectors (November 2024)
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Cryogenic detectors are highly sensitive instruments by now broadly used in experimental particle and astroparticle physics. Operating at cryogenic temperatures significantly reduces thermal noise, allowing these detectors to achieve exceptional precision and energy resolution as well as ultra-low thresholds. Applications include dark matter detection, neutrino physics, and rare event searches. By cooling materials like superconductors or semiconductors, cryogenic detectors can detect minute energy deposits from particle interactions, using quantum sensors to detect changes in temperature, resistance, or phonon production. The course involved the basic concepts and most common practical uses of cryogenic sensors as well as a hands-on experience in Heidelberg where the fellows operated a cryogenic detector. |
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Our guest lecturer, Professor Loredana Gastaldo, is a distinguished physicist at the Kirchhoff Institute for Physics, part of Heidelberg University in Germany. Her research focuses on quantum sensors and cryogenic particle detection, particularly in the context of neutrino physics. Amongst others, her work involves the development and application of cryogenic microcalorimeters in the context of the ECHo (Electron Capture in Holmium) experiment that aims to measure the neutrino mass with unprecedented precision. |