Clara Gatius Oliver, PhD at Nikhef, will defend her thesis Thursday 4 December 2025 at 10.00 at the Amsterdam University.
“From the cosmos to the sea. Dynamic calibration and dark matter searches with the KM3NeT neutrino telescope”
“Hidden deep beneath the waters of the Mediterranean Sea lies KM3NeT, a telescope that observes tiny and elusive particles called neutrinos. Neutrinos can traverse vast amounts of matter without being affected by it, making them exceptional messengers of the energetic processes that shape the cosmos. Every so often, neutrinos collide with a nucleon or quark in a seawater molecule, creating a flash of blue light. By detecting this light, KM3NeT can trace the neutrinos’ path and uncover clues about the distant cosmic events that created them.
Because the telescope has a flexible structure, it constantly moves with the sea currents, much like strands of seaweed. Knowing exactly where each part of the telescope is at any given moment is essential for correctly interpreting the neutrino signals. This thesis presents and characterises calibration methods that enable the detector’s position and orientation to be monitored with the precision required to reconstruct neutrino events accurately.
The thesis also aims to shed light on one of the greatest mysteries in physics: dark matter, an invisible agent that permeates the Universe. Among the leading theoretical candidates for dark matter are Weakly Interacting Massive Particles (WIMPs). If these particles exist, they might occasionally collide and annihilate, producing neutrinos in the process. Using data from the expanding KM3NeT detector, this work searches for such signals originating from the center of our galaxy. Although no clear evidence of dark matter was found, the results place constraints on the possible properties of WIMPs. Additionally, the sensitivity of the fully built telescope is estimated.”
“From the cosmos to the sea. Dynamic calibration and dark matter searches with the KM3NeT neutrino telescope”
The PhD defense will take place in the Agnietenkapel, Oudezijds Voorburgwal 229 – 231, 1012 EZ Amsterdam.
More information and link to the livestream on the website of the UvA.
Supervisor: prof. dr. ir. P.J. de Jong
Co-supervisor: dr. D.F.E. Samtleben
Contact: Clara Gatius Oliver
