M2: Low-energy event reconstruction with the liquid argon detectors of DUNE: from ProtoDUNE to pixelated charge readouts (M/F)

Job Description

Missions

Summary of the proposed work: The proposed internship concerns low-energy neutrino physics and will be carried out within the LAPP neutrino group.

The DUNE (Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment) experiment is a major international experiment dedicated to the study of neutrinos. It will use very large liquid argon detectors located 1,300 km from the neutrino beam produced at Fermilab in the United States. Liquid argon time projection chamber (LArTPC) technology enables precise three-dimensional reconstruction of particle interactions and therefore offers significant potential for the study of low-energy neutrinos, in particular solar neutrinos. The study of these low-energy events nevertheless presents a significant experimental challenge. The signals of interest must be reconstructed in the presence of substantial backgrounds arising, in particular, from natural radioactivity in the environment, which yields gammas and neutrons, that can mimic low energy signals. A detailed understanding of detector performance and the development of dedicated reconstruction algorithms are therefore essential to fully exploit this potential. In this context, the internship will focus on the reconstruction of low-energy events using data from the ProtoDUNE prototypes at CERN. The student will work in particular with data collected using a Pulsed Neutron Source (PNS) and with various radioactive sources. These data provide an opportunity to experimentally study the detector response to energy deposits at the MeV scale, as well as the reconstruction of photons produced, in particular, by neutron captures. The objective will be to characterize reconstruction performance and identify signatures and observables that can be used to distinguish between different types of events. A second part of the internship will focus on data from a new time projection chamber prototype featuring a pixelated charge readout. This technology provides millimeter-scale spatial granularity and could improve the reconstruction of low-energy events through enhanced topological information and potentially lower detection thresholds. The student will contribute to the analysisof the first data collected with this prototype and will study its performance for low-energy event reconstruction. The internship will therefore combine experimental data analysis, the development of reconstruction tools, and comparisons with detector simulations. The results will contribute to a better understanding of the performance of different charge-readout technologies and their potential for future low-energy physics analyses with DUNE.

Potential continuation towards a PhD thesis:
This internship could lead to a PhD thesis focusing on the reconstruction and study of low-energy events in the far detectors of DUNE. The thesis would build in particular on the analysis of ProtoDUNE Vertical Drift data collected with a Pulsed Neutron Source and radioactive sources, as well as on data from new pixelated charge-readout prototypes. A major objective will be to develop and optimize methods for the reconstruction and identification of low-energy events, in particular by exploiting artificial intelligence techniques to improve the discrimination between signal events and different types of background. These methods could make use of the spatial granularity and calorimetric information provided by LArTPC detectors. The thesis would then extend these developments towards a physics study of low-energy solar neutrinos, connecting reconstruction and background-discrimination performance to physics sensitivity. It would thus contribute to establishing the performance required to exploit the potential of future DUNE detectors for low-energy neutrino physics. The student will also have the opportunity to participate in the construction activities for the DUNE Vertical Drift detector, in particular in activities for which LAPP is responsible, such as the cabling of the Top CRPs and their installation in the cryostat.

Your Profil

Skills:
Currently pursuing a Master's degree (MASTER 2).

Technical Skills:
Ability to present work in English (B2 level).

Personal Skills:
Passion for research and experimental physics.
Ability to work as part of a team.

Your Work Environment

Description of the employer

LAPP is a laboratory of the Institute of Nuclear Physics and Particle Physics (IN2P3), an institute of the National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS), which coordinates programs in these fields. LAPP is a joint research unit (UMR 5814) of the CNRS and the University of Savoie Mont-Blanc (USMB). More than 150 researchers, teacherresearchers, engineers, technicians, administrators, students, and foreign visitors work there. The research carried out at LAPP aims to study the physics of elementary particles and their fundamental interactions, as well as to explore
their links with the great structures of the Universe. The work of the LAPP teams aims, among other things, to understand the origin of the mass of particles, to unravel the mystery of dark matter or to determine what happened to
the antimatter present in our universe at the time of the Big Bang. The location of LAPP, 50 km from CERN, and the presence of the theory laboratory LAPTh in the same premises, make the LAPP campus a very attractive research
place. LAPP hosts the MUST mid-range data storage and computing center.

Special conditions of exercise

Short-term travel is expected both in France and abroad.

Compensation and benefits

Compensation

Annual leave and RTT

44 jours

Remote Working practice and compensation

Pratique et indemnisation du TT

Transport

Prise en charge à 75% du coût et forfait mobilité durable jusqu’à 300€

About the offer

About the CNRS

The CNRS is a major player in fundamental research on a global scale. The CNRS is the only French organization active in all scientific fields. Its unique position as a multi-specialist allows it to bring together different disciplines to address the most important challenges of the contemporary world, in connection with the actors of change.

CNRS

The research professions