VH-NG-1204
Programmorientierte Förderung von DESY
VH-NG-1204
Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY
Notkestraße 85
22607 Hamburg
Universität Potsdam
Institut fur Physik & Astronomie
Karl-Liebknecht-Strasse 24/25
14476 Potsdam
Have we identified the fundamental particles that make up the universe and do we understand the forces that govern their interactions? The Standard Model of particle physics describes a set of fundamental particles and their interactions, and the predictions of the model have
successfully accounted for almost all experimental observations. However, there are strong indications that there are major pieces missing from the Standard Model. It gives no hint as to the nature of dark matter, which constitutes over 80% of the matter in the universe,
nor does it explain why the universe is made of matter, when matter and antimatter were created in equal proportions in the Big Bang.
By studying the interactions of particles at higher energies than have been previously created in laboratories, we can hope to discover the nature of physics beyond the Standard Model. Incredibly energetic processes occur in astrophysical systems, producing radiation at
energies orders of magnitude larger than the energies of man-made particle colliders. The Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA), an international gamma-ray observatory, will open a new window on physics beyond the Standard Model. CTA will be a discovery instrument, with an unprecedented capability to detect and precisely measure gamma rays over a vast energy range. CTA is currently in the prototype stage and is scheduled to begin data taking with a sensitivity exceeding current instruments by 2019. This Young Investigators Group proposes to use CTA data to explore physics beyond the Standard Model of particle physics, searching for particles in the several tens of TeV mass range, above the reach of currently operating man-made accelerators such as the Large Hadron Collider at CERN. The proposed research program addresses the questions of the Helmholtz research program \Matter and the Universe". The proposed research program has two main components. The first is to develop the data analysis tools and to drive the calibration and simulation eorts necessary for CTA to realize its potential as a precision instrument. The second is to search for evidence of physics beyond the Standard Model in CTA data. New particles that decay to gamma rays can produce signatures visible in the energy spectra of gamma-ray sources, and CTA will be the first gamma-ray instrument with the precision needed to disentangle these signals, which are expected to be weak in comparison with known astrophysical processes. Detection of a new particle would constitute a major discovery, while non-detection would constrain models in an energy regime that has not previously been probed. The Young Investigators Group will be based at DESY at its Zeuthen location. The proposed program, at the interface between astroparticle physics, astrophysics and particle physics, will benefit from close collaboration with the CTA group at DESY, the theoretical astrophysics group at Universität Potsdam, and access to the particle theory and ATLAS groups at DESY. The Young Investigator Group will provide scientific and technical training for students and young researchers.
Leader of the Helmholtz Young Investigators Group:
Dr. Elisa Pueschel
DESY
Platanenallee 6
15738 Zeuthen
Office:
Phone: +49 40 8998-0
Email: elisa.pueschel@desy.de
Partner universitiy
Prof. Dr. Martin Pohl
Universität Potsdam
Institut fur Physik & Astronomie
Karl-Liebknecht-Strasse 24/25
14476 Potsdam
Email: marpohl@uni-potsdam.de
