From July 30 to August 8, a total of 16 students (8 male, 8 female) aged 16–18 from all over Germany came together for the Particle Physics Academy on the campus of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (JGU). Together with scientists from the Institutes of Physics and Nuclear Physics and the PRISMA+ cluster of excellence, the participants, who had previously been selected via an application process, spent 10 days studying the elementary components of the universe, getting to know the university and the city of Mainz, and conducting independent research at the Mainz Microtron (MAMI) particle accelerator.

The program initially included lectures by teaching staff of the JGU on Particle Physics (Dr. Christoph Redmer), Detector Physics (Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Gradl), Accelerator Physics (Prof. Dr. Kurt Aulenbacher) and New Physics and the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon g-2 (Prof. Dr. Achim Denig), in whose exploration Mainz researchers are also intensively involved on the experimental as well as on the theoretical side. The Landé factor (g-factor) of the muon is one of the most precisely measured and theoretically predicted quantities in physics and thus allows a unique test of the Standard Model of Particle Physics.

In the central part of the academy, the participants got “Hands on” in workshops in which they independently built a particle detector and learned how to evaluate the data collected with it. The detectors were then put to practical use at the Mainz particle accelerator, the “Mainz Microtron” (MAMI), where the students were able to carry out a physical experiment independently and try their hand as particle physicists.

The event was rounded off by a colorful supporting program of film evenings, city rallies, and barbecues, as well as the opportunity to get to know Mainz physics students personally and learn about study opportunities at the JGU.

The Mainz Particle Physics Academy is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) as part of the Mainz node of the Netzwerk Teilchenwelt and is carried out in cooperation with the Institutes of Physics and Nuclear Physics and the PRISMA+ cluster of excellence. It takes place every summer during the school vacations on the campus of the JGU and offers places for 16 upper school students. As the places are highly sought after, the participants are selected via an application process. Participation, travel, meals and accommodation in Mainz are free of charge for the students.