Detector R&D

Chris Quigg (Fermilab): ‘Een grotere versneller levert altijd iets op’

Should we build an even bigger particle accelerator, as the successor of the LHC accelerator at CERN? For Chris Quigg, an influential theoretical physicist at Fermilab in the US, there is no question about that. ‘A bigger accelerator will always yield results’, he says during a work visit to Nikhef in Amsterdam. (Dutch only)

Theory

Nikhef’s Theoretical Physics group performs theoretical research on a wide range of fundamental topics in high-energy physics, ranging from particle and astroparticle physics to cosmology, gravitational waves and string theory.

Astroparticle physics

Astroparticle physics combines physics and astronomy. In the cosmos, very strong magnetic fields create what can be considered a ‘natural’ particle accelerator. To perform astrophysics research, scientists ‘just’ need to build the right detectors. Nikhef is active in KM3NeT, Auger, XENON1T/nT and Virgo.

Physics Data Processing

Advanced computing for physics and other sciences. Nikhef researchers are mainly developing increasingly better grid software, and transferring their grid knowledge, so that  scientists who are struggling with an ‘impossible’ data problem can profit from the grid.

Particle Physics

In particle physics, very large detectors are used to study elementary particles. Particles such as protons are accelerated in a particle accelerator, and made to collide with each other. The detectors record these collisions, which release a lot of energy to create new particles. Nikhef is active in ALICE, ATLAS and LHCb at CERN and eEDM in Groningen.

Auger observatory: 20 years of observing Mother Nature's super accelerator

It is as big as the province of South Holland and is made up of hundreds of measuring stations on the Pampa: the Pierre Auger observatory for cosmic rays in the province of Mendoza in Argentina. This year the observatory has been open for 20 years. (Dutch only)

Mechanical Technology

The Mechanical Technology (MT) department is made up of approximately 30 MBO-, HBO- and University schooled technical engineers. The main task of the department is to develop, design and realise mechanical solutions for the mostly international projects that Nikhef participates in.