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Venia Legendi for Michaela Thiel

“Fortune and glory, kid. Fortune and glory.” (Indiana Jones)

Well, we don’t know about fortune, but there is definitely glory...
We are thrilled to congratulate Dr. Michaela Thiel on achieving a significant academic milestone: the successful completion of her habilitation. This accomplishment provides evidence of her excellent academic achievements and educational proficiency.

In her work, she is setting out a way to measure the thickness of the neutron skin of heavy nuclei with unrivaled precision. This is not only important for the tiny atomic nuclei on Earth but also for exotic celestial bodies like neutron stars, as the same set of laws of physics apply to both.

As part of the habilitation process, Dr. Thiel delivered a captivating public lecture titled ²⁰⁸Pb and the Last Crusade, in which she presented her latest findings.

Dr. Thiel’s habilitation reflects her exceptional scholarship and her continued commitment to pushing the boundaries of scientific understanding.

Congratulations once again, Dr. Michaela Thiel!

P2/MREX Solenoid arrives in Mainz

(Copyright: nachtschwaermerfilm, https://www.nachtschwaermerfilm.de)

On Friday, the 22^nd of November 2024, the solenoid, which is at the heart of the P2/MREX experiment, arrived in Mainz. The 22 t superconducting magnet was lifted into the MESA hall. See also the university's press release.

Now the adventures of MREX can begin!

Postdoctoral Positions in Nuclear Structure & Astrophysics

The Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz invites applications for two Postdoctoral Researcher positions in Nuclear Structure and Astrophysics within the newly funded Collaborative Research Center (CRC) “Hadrons and Nuclei as Discovery Tools”. As part of a large research community, successful candidates will have access to cutting-edge local research infrastructure. The position includes funding for research and travel, with opportunities to participate in CRC activities such as lecture courses, workshops, retreats, and social events.

Our Projects

Our group if focused on laboratory measurements of astrophysical impacts as neutron skin extraction for the determination of the Equation of State of neutron rich matter and the measurement of absolute cross-section of nuclear reactions. We have developed various detectors and methodologies for this purpose and actively collaborate with theory groups worldwide.
One project involves working on high-impact precision experiments using the P2 spectrometer at the MESA accelerator to extract the neutron skin of ²⁰⁸Pb, enhancing our understanding of neutron star matter. A second project focuses on using high-intensity electron beam to study time-reversed radiative-capture processes, providing critical insights into late burning stages of stars.
Candidates with experience in parity-violating electron scattering, or charged-particle and neutron detection, or photo-dissociation reactions will find this an exciting opportunity to apply their skills to groundbreaking research.

Bachelor’s Degree for David Ternes

David Ternes successfully completed his bachelor thesis "Simulation of the cross section of the neutron capture reaction of ²⁰⁴Tl and possible measurement of the inverse electro-disintegration in the MESA accelerator" as well as his final exam and was awarded the title of Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.).

During his time at AG Sfienti, he computed neutron capture cross sections and implemented the inverse capture reaction in the MAGIX simulation framework to estimate its the feasibility.

Congratulations!

Bachelor’s Degree for Laura Klöpper

Laura Klöpper successfully completed her bachelor thesis "Aufbau eines Teststands und Charakterisierung von Li-Glas-Neutronendetektoren" as well as her final exam and was awarded the title of Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.).

During her time at AG Sfienti, she designed and characterized a test stand for neutron detectors using a fast digitizer readout.

Congratulations!

CRC 1660 PhD Fellowship program

The new Collaborative Research Center (CRC) “Hadrons and Nuclei as Discovery Tools” at JGU wants to give doctoral students the opportunity to conduct research in an attractive and international environment together with renowned scientists.

For the CRC Fellowships application call in 2024, we are looking for PhD candidates for our projects "N01: Neutron-skin and surface-thickness of ²⁰⁸Pb" and "N02: Study of reaction cross sections of astrophysical interest".

For more details, please go to MPA Call 2024. Deadline for applications is August 18^th, 2024.

Stadtradeln has finished

During the Stadtradeln campaign, our team 'AG Sfienti & Friends' travelled 2530 km in three weeks by bike. This secured us the top position in the JGU Mainz team, which took the 21st place in the overall ranking with 6745 km.
Thanks to everyone for participating and cycling so much!

It’s time again

The next two weeks will be dedicated to taking more data on our precious ²⁰⁸Pb target. Together with the last beam time, this will, hopefully, allow us to extract the transverse asymmetry with the desired precision.

So, you will find most of us in the A1 counting room...

Hadrons and Nuclei as Discovery Tools: New Collaborative Research Centre Granted

The German Research Foundation (DFG) approved the establishment of the CRC 1660 "Hadrons and Nuclei as Discovery Tools" at Johannes Gutenberg Unversity. This newly granted Collaborative Research Centre will allow for an interdisciplinary approach to the search of new physics phenomena, and it will significantly sharpen our understanding of strong interaction processes.
By bringing together the fields of atomic, nuclear, and hadron physics, this project holds a unique discovery potential along three main research pillars.

In the first pillar, experiments at low energies and high intensities are used to search for new particles (e.g. dark matter particles) and interactions beyond the SM, and the results are interpreted using lattice QCD. The second pillar investigates the interface between hadron and nuclear physics through spectrometry experiments, electron and photon scattering experiments and high-precision calculations that will improve the interpretation of neutrino experiments and the description of muonic atoms. The third pillar focuses on the exploration of nuclear astrophysics and multi-messenger astronomy with a new generation of high-precision experiments in low-energy nuclear physics combined with state-of-the-art theoretical calculations using effective field theories.

The very broad combined expertise in atomic, nuclear and hadronic physics within this CRC will allow for a significant impact on all the above research avenues simultaneously. The outstanding opportunities enabled by the new local MESA accelerator, which is coming online, as well as at the MAMI (Mainz), BESIII (China), and PSI (Switzerland) facilities, combined with the very strong interplay between the theoretical and experimental groups, will foster unique physics and methodological connections between the different research fields and create a favourable environment for discoveries.

For more information, please read the Johannes Gutenberg University's press release.

Stadtradeln

Over the next three weeks (03.06. to 23.06.2024), every kilometre travelled by bike counts!

AG Sfienti supports the university's efforts for this year's Stadtradeln campaign with a team of seven to promote the use of bicycles in everyday life. Check out our new logo for this event!