“With the MESA accelerator, we want to focus on dark matter in addition to many other exciting physical questions. Two of the planned experiments complement each other: While the DarkMESA beam dump experiment is intended to directly detect dark matter, MAGIX aims at the indirect search for dark matter – and wants to find clear indications of dark photons via their decay.
The DarkMESA experiment is based on a very high rate of events – i.e. on the fact that an unimaginable number of electrons reach the beam dump after passing through the P2 experiment and release their energy in it. Dark matter particles could also be created, which could be detected with our detector. We are currently constructing a modular calorimeter for this purpose, for which several expansion stages are planned. The basic module consists of 25 lead fluoride crystals and, in combination with lead glass modules, enables expansion to an active volume of 1 cubic meter and beyond. The current focus is primarily on getting to know the properties of the detector, reliably shielding it from cosmic radiation, for example, and optimizing the hybrid signal readout of silicon photomultipliers and classic photomultipliers. In the case of the silicon strip detector of the MAGIX experiment, with which we want to detect, among other things, particles that would be involved in a reaction with a produced dark photon, the readout electronics has now been largely developed and further optimizations are now the focus.
As a postdoctoral researcher, I supervise students in their master’s degree and doctoral theses. It is important to me to get them excited about research and to show them perspectives if they want to pursue an academic career. Just as I experienced it myself at the Institute for Nuclear Physics during my Diplom and
doctoral thesis.
Dr. Maik Biroth is a postdoctoral researcher in the group of Prof. Dr. Achim Denig. In his Diplom and doctoral thesis at the Institute for Nuclear Physics, he worked on a project at the A2 experiment of the MAMI accelerator. The supervision of students is a great concern for him. Accompanying them successfully in their development motivates him very much.
