The University of Sussex Experimental Particle Physics group plays a critically important role in a number of experiments at the frontiers of our knowledge of particle physics. Alongside Oxford, we are one of only two university groups to be involved in more than one of the UK's top-priority particle-physics experiments.
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A SEPnet funded 3-year DPhil studentship is available to work on the characterization and possible applications of Silicon Photomultipliers, within the Sussex Experimental Particle Physics group and under the supervision of Dr Antonella De Santo and Dr Fabrizio Salvatore. The studentship is available from October 2010. UK as well as EU nationals are eligible for full SEPnet funding, which includes home fees, an annual stipend of at least £13,290, and an annual training grant of £1,200. Please follow this link for more information
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Have you ever wondered why the Universe contains a great deal of matter but hardly any antimatter? The absence of enough CP violation in the established laws of physics to explain the matter-antimatter asymmetry of the Universe is one of the most profound mysteries in particle physics and astronomy. The neutron EDM is an extremely sensitive test of CP violation in theories of physics beyond the Standard Model. The basic idea of the experiment is to make an "atomic clock" with neutrons instead of atoms, and then test whether the frequency of the clock shifts with the application of a large electric field. We are currently developing an entirely new type of apparatus based on our recently-demonstrated method of making dense ultra-cold neutron sources using down-scattering in superfluid liquid helium. Within a couple of years we should be making measurements that will improve on our already world-record sensitivity to CP violation. We are a very small group by particle physics standards and a student could have a significant and high-visibility impact on this high-priority STFC project. See a little more about this project in the news.
The Sussex EPP group has recently joined the ATLAS Experiment at CERN. ATLAS is one of the two multi-purpose detectors on the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN. The LHC is a circular accelerator, 27 km long, located about 100 meters underground across the French-Swiss border. It will collide protons onto protons at unprecedented high energies, recreating conditions thought to have existed in our Universe shortly after the Big Bang.
The gigantic ATLAS experiment, the size of a five-storey building, will allow scientists from all over the world to probe deeper into the heart of matter and further back in time than it has ever been possible before. By pushing the energy frontier into unexplored territory, ATLAS hopes to shed light on fundamental questions such as the origin of mass, the nature of Dark Matter in our Universe, or even to explore the existence of yet undiscovered additional dimensions of space. Members of the Sussex ATLAS team are making major contributions to the ATLAS physics programme, searching for Supersymmetry and other manifestations of "new physics" beyond the so-called Standard Model of particle physics, which is known to break down at LHC energies. They are also making significant contributions to the ATLAS trigger system, the experiment's "brain" that must decide almost instantaneously which proton-proton collisions to keep for further analysis, and which ones to reject.
Meanwhile, our neutrino sub-group is involved with several projects: MINOS, Double Chooz, and SNO+. We have vacancies for students on the latter of these. SNO+ is an exciting new project that aims to tell us about the nature of the neutrino - in particular, to answer the crucial question of whether it is its own antiparticle; and also, to tell us its mass.
For SNO+, the famous SNO detector will be filled with liquid scintillator. It will then be loaded with neodymium, one isotope of which appears to be an extremely promising candidate in the search for neutrinoless double-beta decay. Observation of this process would provide a revolutionary advance in our knowledge and understanding of particle physics.
What's Involved?
Each DPhil student has a supervisor who works on one (or more) of the above experiments. The student joins the collaboration and, whilst carrying out their research, plays a full role in maintaining the Sussex responsibilities on the experiment. The DPhil consists of work carried out by the student. A high proportion of Sussex students have their thesis work published by the collaboration in academic journals and/or shown at international conferences (usually by the student themselves).
A normal pattern of DPhil research would be:
Year 1: Postgraduate courses Oct-June. Beginning research on an experiment in parallel, including attending collaboration meetings. Written first year report handed in at the beginning of summer. National Particle Physics Summer School in September.
Year 2: Research on thesis topic. Spend up to a year at the experiment.
Year 3: Research on thesis topic, write up and hand in thesis. In the spring of the third year the student presents their thesis work at the Annual Institute of Physics High Energy Particle Physics Group meeting. This is only a rough guide - details vary depending upon project, student and supervisor. The Graduate School also provides more general training courses.
Funding
We have one or two studentships in experimental particle physics each year supported by the Science and Technology Facilities Council (there is information on eligibility on their pages). Funding from other sources with different eligibility requirements is sometimes available as well.
How and When to Apply
Studentships are generally offered between January and July, to start in the following October. The earlier you contact us, the better your chances.
The main contact for postgraduate research is the Postgraduate Coordinator, School of Science and Technology, University of Sussex, Falmer, Brighton BN1 9QH. More information on postgraduate admissions is available. See the webpages of the Department of Physics and Astronomy for more information about our Department and its activities.
For a list of other opportunities in particle physics around the UK, click here.