Applications from students who are interested in exploring the dynamics of high-energy particles from outside of our solar system with different messengers are being sought. Research opportunities in the Laboratory for Extreme Multi-Messenger Astrophysics (LEMMA) include hands-on hardware development (e.g. design and tests of detector components) and software development (e.g. simulation and data analyses). Currently LEMMA is recruiting students pursuing master’s and PhD degrees to work on the HELIX cosmic ray experiment, the IceCube and P-ONE high-energy neutrino experiments, and/or the VERITAS gamma-ray experiment. Students will learn how to build and test particle detectors, to simulate the particle interactions, to do the data analysis using C++/Python, and to interpret the results to explore the Universe revealed by the high-energy particles. While students may expect to work on a single experiment, LEMMA encourages open discussions between team members working on the different experiments as it is vital to understand the connection between different messengers (cosmic rays, neutrinos, and gamma rays.) All of the experiments listed above are carried out as international collaborations, and students will have ample opportunities to have close collaborations with colleagues around the world. Please check the details of the research topics for each experiment in the following tabs, and contact Dr. Park for more information on specific research projects.
Please visit the School for Graduate Studies and Research for more information on the application procedure. The department deadline for applications is December 15th. As applications are reviewed as they are submitted, applicants are strongly encouraged to submit their applications as soon as possible. Please indicate in your application that you are interested in “high-energy particle astrophysics”, and send Dr. Park an e-mail indicating you would like to be considered for a position in our team.
LEMMA is recruiting either a master’s or PhD student for HELIX (High-Energy Light Isotope eXperiment). HELIX is a balloon experiment designed to measure high-energy cosmic ray isotopes. With a 1 Tesla superconducting magnet combined with a precision tracker and velocity measurements by a time-of-flight system and a ring imaging Cherenkov counter, HELIX is optimized to measure the flux of the cosmic ray clock isotope, Beryllium-10, with a mass resolution of ~3% to improve our knowledge of cosmic ray propagation. You can find an introduction to cosmic ray science under the Research menu.
HELIX is designed to have a series of balloon flights, with the first flight scheduled for 2023/2024. The student will learn how to support the flight of HELIX, analyze the science flight data, and develop new particle detectors for future HELIX instruments. LEMMA has the infrastructure to develop the detectors for balloon experiments, including a thermal-vacuum chamber to test instruments in a near-space environment.
LEMMA is recruiting either a master’s or PhD student for the IceCube experiment. IceCube is a high-energy neutrino observatory located at the South Pole. IceCube reported the first detection of high-energy astrophysical neutrinos, and evidence of a high-energy neutrino flare associated with an astrophysical object, TXS 0506+056. With a cubic kilometer of active detection volume, IceCube is currently the most sensitive high-energy neutrino observatory, and the largest particle detector, in the world. You can find an introduction to high-energy neutrinos under the Research menu. The student will learn how to analyze the more than ten years of data from IceCube observations, to handle a big data set with machine learning algorithms, and to investigate the hadronic interactions in different astrophysical environments to search for the origin of high-energy neutrinos.
I am planning to recruit 1-2 undergraduate students for a summer project. One project would be related to simulations and tests of small detector components for the HELIX balloon experiment. The other project would be related to constructing a database for multi-messenger follow-up observations of high-energy neutrino alerts.