Institute of research into the fundamental laws of the Universe

The proposed thesis project focuses on studying neutrino oscillations, a key quantum phenomenon for exploring New Physics beyond the Standard Model. These oscillations, compared between neutrinos and antineutrinos, could shed light on one of the most fundamental questions in particle physics: the origin of the matter-antimatter asymmetry in the Universe.

The T2K experiment, located in Japan, studies these oscillations by generating an intense beam of muon neutrinos (and antineutrinos). This beam is measured at two points: a near detector, used to reduce systematic uncertainties related to the neutrino flux and interaction models, and a far detector (Super-Kamiokande), responsible for measuring the disappearance of muon neutrinos and the appearance of electron neutrinos after oscillations.

The thesis project is divided into two parts. The first part will involve calibrating the new detectors (new time projection chambers using resistive MicroMegas technology) to measure the neutrino energy spectrum and assess the associated systematic uncertainties. The second part will focus on analyzing the newly collected data, allowing for more precise measurements of oscillation parameters, improving the understanding of neutrino-nucleus interactions, and measuring CP violation in neutrino oscillations with 3 sigma significance in the case of maximal violation, as indicated by the latest T2K results, and ultimately 5 sigma in the future Hyper-Kamiokande experiment, which will use the same beam and near detector as T2K.

Positron emission tomography (PET) is a nuclear medical imaging technique widely used in oncology and neurobiology.
We're proposing you to contribute to the development of an ambitious, patented technology: ClearMind. This gamma photon detector uses a monolithic PbWO4 crystal, in which Cherenkov and scintillation photons are produced. These optical photons are converted into electrons by a photoelectric layer and multiplied in a MicroChannel plate. The induced electrical signals are amplified by gigahertz amplifiers and digitized by SAMPIC fast acquisition modules. The opposite side of the crystal will be fitted with a matrix of silicon photomultiplier (SiPM).

You will work in an advanced instrumentation laboratory in a particle physics environment .
The first step will be to optimize the "components" of ClearMind detectors, in order to achieve nominal performance. We'll be working on scintillating crystals, optical interfaces, photoelectric layers and associated fast photodetectors, and readout electronics.
We will then characterize the performance of the prototype detectors on our measurement benches.
The data acquired will be interpreted using in-house analysis software written in C++ and/or Python.
Finally, we will compare the physical behavior of our detectors to Monté-Carlo simulation software (Geant4/Gate).
A particular effort will be devoted to the development of ultra-fast scintillating crystals in the context of a European collaboration.

This proposal focuses on enhancing tracking performance for the LHCb experiments during Run 5 at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) through the exploration of various machine learning-based algorithms. The Upstream Tracker (UT) sub-detector, a crucial component of the LHCb tracking system, plays a vital role in reducing the fake track rate by filtering out incorrectly reconstructed tracks early in the reconstruction process. As the LHCb detector investigates rare particle decays, studies CP violation in the Standard Model, and study the Quark-Gluon plasma in PbPb collisions, precise tracking becomes increasingly important.

With upcoming upgrades planned for 2035 and the anticipated increase in data rates, traditional tracking methods may struggle to meet the computational demands, especially in nucleus-nucleus collisions where thousands of particles are produced. Our project will investigate a range of machine learning techniques, including those already demonstrated in the LHCb’s Vertex Locator (VELO), to enhance the tracking performance of the UT. By applying diverse methods, we aim to improve early-stage track reconstruction, increase efficiency, and decrease the fake track rate. Among these techniques, Graph Neural Networks (GNNs) are a particularly promising option, as they can exploit spatial and temporal correlations in detector hits to improve tracking accuracy and reduce computational burdens.

This exploration of new methods will involve development work tailored to the specific hardware selected for deployment, whether it be GPUs, CPUs, or FPGAs, all part of the futur LHCb’s data architecture. We will benchmark these algorithms against current tracking methods to quantify improvements in performance, scalability, and computational efficiency. Additionally, we plan to integrate the most effective algorithms into the LHCb software framework to ensure compatibility with existing data pipelines.

Since the discovery of the Higgs boson (H) in 2012 by the ATLAS and CMS experiments, and after more than 10 years of studying its properties, especially thanks to the large Run 2 datasets from the LHC collected by both collaborations between 2015 and 2018, everything seems to indicate that we have finally completed the Standard Model (SM), as it was predicted sixty years ago. However, despite the success of this theory, many questions remain unanswered, and in-depth studies of the scalar sector of the SM could provide us with hints about how to address them.

The study of double Higgs boson (HH) production is currently of particular interest to the high-energy physics community, as it constitutes the best experimental handle to access the H self coupling, and consequently the Higgs potential V(H). Due to its direct links with the electroweak phase transition (EWPT), the shape of V(H) is particularly relevant for beyond the Standard Model (BSM) theories that attempt, for instance, to explain primordial baryogenesis and the matter-antimatter asymmetry in our universe. Some of these models predict an expanded scalar sector, involving the existence of additional Higgs bosons, often interacting preferentially with the SM Higgs.

The CMS group at CEA-Saclay/IRFU/DPhP therefore wishes to offer a PhD position focused on the search for resonant HH production, concentrating on the H(bb)H(tautau) channel, with the aim of constraining these models, for the first time involving a complete characterization of the BSM signal and its interferences with the SM. The selected student would participate in well-established research activities within the CMS collaboration and the CEA group, in connection with several institutes in France and abroad.

The objective of the thesis is a precise measurement of the mass and width of the W boson, by studying its leptonic decays with the ATLAS detector at the LHC. The analysis will be based on data from Run 2 of the LHC, and aims for an precision on the mass of 10 MeV.

The candidate will be involved in the study of the alignment and calibration of the ATLAS muon spectrometer. IRFU played a leading role in the design and construction of this instrument and is heavily involved in its scientific exploitation. This will involve optimally combining the measurement given by the spectrometer with that of the ATLAS inner detector, using a precise model of the magnetic field and the relative positioning of these systems, in order to reconstruct the muon kinematics with the precision required for measurement.

The second phase of the project consists of improving the modeling of the W-boson production and decay process and optimizing the analysis itself in order to minimize the final uncertainty of the measurement. The measurement result will be combined with other existing measurements, and interpreted in terms of compatibility with the Standard Model prediction or as an indication of the presence of new physics.

Neutrinoless double beta decay (0nßß) represents a pivotal area of research in nuclear physics, offering profound insights into neutrino properties and the potential violation of lepton number conservation. The CUPID experiment is at the forefront of this investigation, employing advanced scintillating bolometers at cryogenic temperatures to minimize radioactive background noise. It aims to achieve unprecedented sensitivity in detecting 0nßß decay using lithium molybdate (Li2MoO4) crystals. These crystals are particularly advantageous due to their scintillation properties and the high Q-value of the decay process, which lies above most environmental gamma backgrounds. In turn this endeavour will require operating a fine grained array of 1596 dual heat/light detectors with excellent energy resolution. The proposed thesis integrates artificial intelligence (AI) techniques to enhance data analysis, reconstruction, and modeling for the CUPID experiment demonstrators and the science exploitation of CUPID.

The thesis will focus on two primary objectives:
1. Improved Time Series Event Reconstruction Techniques
- CNN based denoising and comparison against optimal classical techniques
2. Multivariate science analysis of a large neutrino detector array
- Analysis of Excited States: The study will use Geant4 simulations together with the CUPID background model as training data to optimize the event classification and hence science potential for the analysis of 2nßß decay to excited states.

The synthesis and study of the superheavy nuclei (SHN) is still one of the major challenges of modern nuclear physics. Experimental studies of hitherto unknown nuclei depend crucially on their identification in terms of atomic charge Z and nuclear mass A. To complete particle ID capabilities of the separator-spectrometer set-up S3 at GANIL-SPIRAL2, already providing a mass resolution sufficient to resolve the A of SHN, its focal plane detection system SIRIUS will be provided with X-ray detection for Z identification of the species of interest. The development of an X-ray detection system array, employing thin germanium crystals with thin entrance windows (based on so-called Low-Energy Photon Spectrometers (LEPS)), its integration in the SIRIUS set-up as well as its in-beam test and use for SHN decay spectroscopy will be the main tasks of the Ph.D. thesis. The Ph.D. student will be involved in SHN spectroscopic studies at GANIL and international accelerator laboratories like ANL, which serve as efficient preparation of the experiment campaigns planned at S3 which is scheduled to come online in 2024. This Ph.D. thesis work is an important ingredient for the preparation of the detection instrumentation needed for the S3 operation.

Future experiments on linear colliders (e+e-) with low hadronic background require improvements in the spatial resolution of pixel vertex detectors to the micron range, in order to determine precisely the primary and secondary vertices for particles with a high transverse momentum. This kind of detector is set closest to the interaction point. This will provide the opportunity to make precision lifetime measurements of short-lived charged particles. We need to develop pixels arrays with a pixel dimension below the micron squared. The proposed technologies (DOTPIX: Quantum Dot Pixels) should give a significant advance in particle tracking and vertexing. Although the principle of these new devices has been already been studied in IRFU (see reference), this doctoral work should focus on the study of real devices which should then be fabricated using nanotechnologies in collaboration with other Institutes. This should require the use of simulation codes and the fabrication of test structures. Applications outside basics physics are X ray imaging and optimum resolution sensors for visible light holographic cameras.

Neutrinos are promising messengers for detecting physics beyond the Standard Model. Their elusive nature and unexplained mass suggest they could open new pathways for physics. Neutrino oscillation research has entered a precision era with experiments like T2K, which in 2020 observed hints of CP violation in the leptonic sector that could shed light on the question of matter-antimatter asymmetry in the Universe.

The T2K experiment, located in Japan, studies neutrino oscillations by generating an intense beam of muon neutrinos (and anti-neutrinos). This beam is measured at two locations: a near detector, designed to reduce systematic uncertainties related to the neutrino flux and interaction models, and a far detector (Super-Kamiokande), tasked with measuring the disappearance of muon neutrinos and the appearance of electron neutrinos after oscillation.
In 2023, T2K entered its second phase with increased beam power and upgrade of the near detector, including a highly granular new target and High-Angle Time Projection Chambers (HA-TPC). These improvements enable more precise reconstruction of particles produced by neutrino interactions.

IRFU teams contributed by developing HA-TPCs equipped with resistive Micromegas technology. This work improves spatial resolution and the precision of particle momentum. The thesis explores optimizing the particle track reconstruction algorithms in the HA-TPCs using advanced techniques, as well as analyzing T2K data with the upgraded ND280 to achieve a 3 sigma level of significance for CP violation. T2K is thus paving the way for future experiments like DUNE and Hyper-Kamiokande, opening new perspectives for the next two decades.