Projects
Choose among these 8 projects
Search for gravitational waves in the Earth-Moon system
In this project we will try to implement the effect of gravitational waves that may have originated in the Big Bang on the orbital deviation of bound systems, such as the Earth and the Moon. To do this, it will be necessary to understand the aspects of general relativity associated with the problem, as well as aspects of how to model stochastic signals in time series data.
Number of students: 2
Place: IFAE
Lyman alpha forest
The Lyman alpha forest (Lya forest) refers to a series of absorption lines in the spectrum of distant quasars that appear as a “forest”. These absorption lines are produced by clouds of hydrogen gas (primarily neutral hydrogen) that exist between the observer and the quasar. The Lya forest provides valuable information about the distribution and properties of intergalactic gas, which is an important tracer of the large-scale structure of the universe. Therefore, the study of the Lya forest has far-reaching implications, not just in the field of astrophysics, but also in our understanding of the universe as a whole.
The purpose of this summer internship is to provide students with hands-on experience in the study of the Lya forest and its application in the field of astrophysics and cosmology. Through this internship, students will have the opportunity to work with leading experts in the field and contribute to ongoing research projects. During the internship, students will participate in a range of activities, including:
- Data analysis and processing of large astronomical datasets
- Simulation and modeling of the Lya forest
- Presentation of results to a team of researchers
To be eligible for the internship, students should have experience in programming and data analysis. At the end of the internship, students will have a deeper understanding of the Lyman Alpha Forest and its significance in the field of astrophysics. They will also have gained practical experience in data analysis, simulation, and presentation of results.
Number of students: 1
Place: IFAE
A low-energy gamma-ray trigger for the HERD space mission
The High Energy cosmic-Radiation Detection (HERD) facility is a next-generation cosmic-ray detector proposed by China, Italy, Switzerland and Spain, foreseen to be installed in 2027 in the China Space Station and to be operational for at least 10 years. HERD’s main scientific goals are: the first direct measurement of the cosmic-ray spectrum up to PeV energies; the search for signatures of dark matter particles; and the continuous, wide field-of-view monitoring of the high-energy gamma-ray sky above 100 MeV. IFAE is in charge of developing the trigger system that will allow HERD to detect low-energy gamma-rays and of assessing the potential of the detector as a gamma-ray telescope. The student will collaborate in the technical tests at IFAE to evaluate the performance of the gamma-ray trigger system and its impact on the HERD expected scientific output.
Number of students: 1
Place: IFAE
Gamma-ray astronomy with the CTA_LST-1 telescope
Very-high energy photons (E>20 GeV) are a key tool for the study of some of the most extreme environments in the universe: stellar explosions, pulsars and supermassive black holes are prime targets for this fast-developing branch of Astronomy. The Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA, https://www.cta-observatory.org/) is the next-generation ground-based observatory for gamma-ray astronomy at very-high energies. The first CTA telescope, LST-1, the most advanced of its kind worldwide, is already operational in the northern hemisphere site of CTA, at the Roque de Los Muchachos Observatory in the Canary island of La Palma. IFAE has played a major role in the construction and the commissioning of the camera of LST-1. The student will work in the analysis of LST-1 observations performed in the 2020-2022 period. Good programming skills, with some experience in the use of Python, are required.
Number of students: 1
Place: IFAE
Particle Physics with the ATLAS Experiment @ the LHC
The student will work in the IFAE ATLAS group in topics such as:
- Search for beyond the Standard Model particles in the ATLAS detector like leptoquarks which may couple preferentially to tau leptons. The student will investigate the potential of finding them using several independent selections and combining the information in a deep neural network discriminating signal from background. The study will use Monte Carlo simulations.
Number of students: 1
Place: IFAE
Gravitational Waves detection with the Virgo Interferometer
IFAE is a member of the VIRGO collaboration. This opens a new long-term research line in IFAE related to Gravitational Waves detection using terrestrial interferometry. A group of researches from IFAE has taken significant responsibilities in the VIRGO experiment related to the control of the stray light inside the experiment, which is considered a limiting factor for its sensitivity. In the physics analysis front, the IFAE team is developing a complete research program using LIGO/Virgo data for which a Deep Learning (DL) approach is being taken.
Project 1 Supervisor: Mario Martinez The candidate will have the opportunity to participate in the analysis of the data using a state-of-the-art DL approach together with the rest of the IFAE team.
Project 2 Supervisor: Lluisa Mir The candidate will be offered the opportunity to participate in the IFAE activities related to the construction of new detectors for Virgo, involving high-tech photosensors and sophisticated simulations of the propagation of light inside the interferometer.
Number of students: 1
Place: IFAE
Characterization of Pixel Detectors
Highly segmented silicon sensors are widely used in High Energy Physics as precision tracking devices. Upgrades of the CERN experiments to high luminosities set unprecedented requirements with respect to radiation hardness and require the development of new generations of silicon detectors. The student will work at the IFAE Pixel Lab to help gain a deep understanding of the charge collection and the underlying signal formation in the silicon sensors for particle physics or medical imaging applications.
Number of students: 1
Place: IFAE
Superconducting quantum computers
Quantum algorithms consists of a set of instructions in the form of unitary operations that need to be applied to the qubits in a quantum computer. At the higher-level of a quantum programmer, these instructions are independent on the physical implementation of the quantum computer. Deep down in the hardware implementation level, the instructions become translated into physical processes taking place in the actual physical qubits. Such translation unavoidably depends on the physical system that implements a quantum computer. In our group, we operate superconducting quantum circuits. Superconducting qubits are electrical circuits behaving as artifical atoms which resonate at the microwave frequency domain. Qubit operations correspond to microwave engineered pulses which rotate the qubit state at will. The project will be focused on the development of hardware for the qubit experiments
Number of students: 1
Place: IFAE
