Doctoral position on Direct search for Dark Matter with the DarkSide-20k experiment (M/F))

12 Mar 2024
Job Information

Organisation/Company

CNRS

Department

Centre de Physique des Particules de Marseille

Research Field

Physics

Researcher Profile

First Stage Researcher (R1)

Country

France

Application Deadline

1 Apr 2024 – 23:59 (UTC)

Type of Contract

Temporary

Job Status

Full-time

Hours Per Week

35

Offer Starting Date

1 Oct 2024

Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?

Not funded by an EU programme

Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?

No

Offer Description

CPPM is a laboratory under the supervision of CNRS/IN2P3 and the University of Aix-Marseille. It is located on the Luminy campus in Marseille, in the heart of the Parc National des Calanques. The research conducted at CPPM is at the crossroads of the two infinites – the infinitely small and the infinitely large – from the study of the elementary components of matter to the exploration of the cosmos. The laboratory employs around 180 people, including 40 researchers, 70 engineers and 30 PhD students. CPPM is committed to conducting ethical research and promoting diversity and inclusion in the workplace, and provides administrative and logistical support to newcomers, particularly PhD students (https://www.cppm.in2p3.fr/web/fr/index.html ). The successful candidate will be part of the dark matter team, which comprises a dozen members.
The position is funded by the ANR FIDAR project, approved in 2023 for 4 years from 2024 to 2027.
During his/her thesis, the student will travel regularly to the LNGS to participate to the integration and run of the calibration system.

Additional Information
Requirements:
• Education: master in experimental particle physics
• Programming: knowledge in python or C++
• Language: fluency in spoken and written English

Dark matter is today one of the main puzzles in fundamental physics. Indeed, its contribution to the total mass of the Universe is 85%, but it cannot be explained in the framework of the Standard Model (SM) of particle physics. Several candidates exist in theories beyond the SM, and the WIMP (Weakly Interacting Massive Particle) is one of the best motivated of these candidates, as it allows to also solve the SM hierarchy problem, directly linked to the stability of the Higgs boson mass
Experiments searching directly for dark matter thus use our galaxy halo as a potential source of WIMPs. Since 2010, the most sensitive technology is based on the measurement of the scintillation light from the scattering of a WIMP on a liquid noble atom argon or xenon. In this framework, the DarkSide-20k (DS-20k) experiment, which will be installed 1.4 km underground in the Gran Sasso laboratory in Italy, is the third generation of liquid argon detectors. It will use a time projection chamber of 3.5 m diameter and 3.5 m high filled with 50 tons of purified argon and read out by 200,000 silicon photomultipliers. This will allow to have the world leading discovery potential for WIMPs after few years of data taking. The actual work is dedicated to the construction of the detector. Data taking should start in 2027. The increase of the liquid argon volume, compared to the first and second generation, will allow DS-20k to have the best sensitivity of all the liquid argon detectors after only one month of data.
The goal of this thesis, already financed by the Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR) between October 2024 and September 2027, is to prepare and to participate to the analysis of the first data, for which the CPPM computed the sensitivity to WIMPs of low (<10 GeV) and high mass (>100 GeV). First, the student will participate to the simulation and the installation of the calibration system, designed and validated at CPPM. In parallel, the student will improve data reconstruction algorithms by using artificial intelligence techniques (e.g. neural networks), to optimize the separation between signal and backgrounds. Finally, he (she) will participate to the analysis of calibration data taken by DS-20k, and to the first physics analyses. These activities bring a complete education in particle physics, including instrumental aspects, software and data analysis.

Requirements

Research Field

Physics

Education Level

Master Degree or equivalent

Languages

FRENCH

Level

Basic

Research Field

Physics

Years of Research Experience

None

Additional Information
Additional comments

The application consists of:
• a motivation letter
• CV (2 pages maximum) and university grade transcripts (for all degrees)
• Three reference letters

Please arrange for the reference letters to be sent to Fabrice Hubaut ([email protected] ) and Pascal Pralavorio ([email protected] ) and upload the statement of interest, CV and grades on the CNRS portal https://emploi.cnrs.fr/Offres/Doctorant/UMR7346-ANNPOR-126/Default.aspx… .

Contact: Hubaut, Fabrice ([email protected] ), Pralavorio, Pascal ([email protected] )

Website for additional job details

https://emploi.cnrs.fr/Offres/Doctorant/UMR7346-ANNPOR-126/Default.aspx

Work Location(s)

Number of offers available

1

Company/Institute

Centre de Physique des Particules de Marseille

Country

France

City

MARSEILLE 09

Geofield

Where to apply

Website

https://emploi.cnrs.fr/Candidat/Offre/UMR7346-ANNPOR-126/Candidater.aspx

Contact

City

MARSEILLE 09

Website

https://www.cppm.in2p3.fr

STATUS: EXPIRED