Vikas Gupta, PhD at Nikhef, will defend his thesis Monday 16 March 2026 at 13.00 at the University of Amsterdam.
“Through the Looking Glass. Reconstruction and Optical Studies for DUNE Liquid Argon Detectors”
Neutrinos are among the most elusive particles in the Standard Model, yet their properties provide critical insight into physics beyond it, including the origin of mass, CP violation and the matter-antimatter asymmetry of the Universe. The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) aims to address these open questions by precisely measuring neutrino flavor oscillations using Liquid Argon Time Projection Chamber (LArTPC) detectors.
This thesis investigates complementary aspects of DUNE’s liquid-argon detector technology, focusing on both ionization-charge reconstruction and optical readout. Detailed studies of pion–argon interactions and electromagnetic showers in ProtoDUNE-SP, the prototype detector at CERN, provide essential experimental input for validating hadronic and electromagnetic interaction models in liquid argon. In parallel, investigations of polyethylene naphthalate (PEN) as a wavelength shifter, together with the commissioning of the VULCAN setup at Nikhef for optical characterization of detector materials in the vacuum-ultraviolet (VUV) regime, offer new insights into scintillation-light detection.
Collectively, these studies enhance the reconstruction precision and hardware validation necessary for DUNE to achieve its scientific goals.
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. T.R. Pollmann
Contact: Vikas Gupta
