Thijs van Eeden, PhD at Nikhef, will defend his thesis Friday 11 October 2024 at 14.00 at the University of Amsterdam.
“Neutrino astronomy with KM3NeT/ARCA”
“In everyday life, you may not realise it, but billions of particles are passing through you every second. These particles are called neutrinos and are also known as the ghost particles of physics. Neutrinos are uncharged and have a minuscule mass. They interact via the weak nuclear force, so they almost never interact with other particles. This allows them to pass right through you, the earth and the universe. With these properties, neutrinos offer us a different way of looking at the universe.
The KM3NeT/ARCA detector is a neutrino telescope designed to measure high-energy neutrinos from the universe. It is located deep in the Mediterranean Sea, off the Italian coast of Sicily. A cubic kilometre of the sea is filled with devices that can measure single photons. These devices can detect the faint flashes of Cherenkov light produced when neutrinos interact with the water. From this, you can then determine the direction and energy of the neutrino.
This thesis focuses on neutrino astronomy using the KM3NeT/ARCA detector. Among other things, it focuses on the conversion of light patterns to the properties of neutrinos, an important aspect of neutrino astronomy. In addition, the thesis presents new studies for the sensitivity of the detector and a search for neutrino sources in recently collected data. Although no new sources were discovered, the sensitivity has improved significantly, indicating potential for new discoveries in the near future.”
“Neutrino astronomy with KM3NeT/ARCA” (pdf)
The PhD defense will take place on Friday 11 October 2024, at 14.00 in the Aula of the University, Singel 411, 1012 WN Amsterdam.
More information and link to the livestream on the website of the UvA.
Supervisors: prof. dr. ir. P.J. de Jong and Prof. dr. A.J. Heijboer
contact: Thijs van Eeden