Dark Matter with the LZ and XLZD Experiments

University of Sheffield; United Kingdom; On-site; GBP 15,000 - 20,000; Full time

Job summary

The University of Sheffield offers a fully-funded PhD position in particle physics, focused on dark matter research using advanced liquid xenon technology. Candidates will analyze data from the LZ experiment, participate in detector operations, and engage in R&D for the XLZD project, with potential stays in the USA. Strong programming skills and knowledge in related physics fields are essential for this opportunity.

Qualifications

• Good knowledge of particle physics.
• Excellent programming skills.
• Knowledge of nuclear physics and particle astrophysics desirable.

Responsibilities

• Analyse data from the LZ experiment to search for dark matter scattering.
• Perform shifts at the detector site in the USA.
• Conduct preparatory work for the XLZD experiment.

Skills

Particle physics

Programming skills

Nuclear physics

Particle astrophysics

Job description

A fully-funded PhD position in particle physics is available focused on the search for dark matter using liquid xenon technology. This type of detector is sensitive to dark matter particles predicted by many leading theories of new physics beyond the Standard Model of particle physics, such as supersymmetry. The position will involve contributing to the LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) experiment, which is currently taking data in the deep underground laboratory at SURF (South Dakota, USA), and will include research & development work for the future XLZD experiment. The particle physics and particle astrophysics (PPPA) group at the University of Sheffield has been involved in the LZ experiment since 2013 and is currently involved in background simulation and understanding and data analysis.

The PhD project will involve analysing data from the LZ experiment to search for dark matter scattering within the experiment and other rare particle interactions. Shifts at the detector site in the USA to monitor detector operation and data quality will be required, and so will be remote shifts to control detector subsystems. The student will also have the opportunity to spend a longer period of time (4 - 12 months) in the USA participating in detector operation. The project will also involve preparatory work for the future XLZD experiment, for which we are promoting Boulby (North Yorkshire) as a host laboratory. This may include simulations that are used to optimise the detector design and/or laboratory-based detector research & development activities.

The successful candidate will have a good knowledge of particle physics and excellent programming skills.Knowledge of nuclear physics and particle astrophysics is desirable. The project is open to home and international candidates but international students may need to secure funding to pay fees and living expenses. A variety of PhD projects are available within the group throughout our research portfolio. Candidates who are interested in multiple projects within our group need only register their interest once and will be considered for all projects in which they have an interest.

Instructions for applying can be found on the website https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/postgradapplication/ with information on PhD study at Sheffield being available here: https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/postgraduate/phd

Information on the Particle Physics group in Sheffield can be found here: https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/mps/research/physics/particle