Ultrapure SiPMs and Associated Readout Electronics group activity
The main focus of group 4 led by Dr Masayuki Wada is the development of light detectors based on Silicon Photo Multipliers (SiPMs) for experimental searches for new physics beyond the Standard Model, such as dark matter direction and neutrino-less double beta decay. The same technology will be applied to develop medical devices based on SiPMs.
One key physics goal is to use dedicated systems of SiPMs to look for the elusive dark matter in the Universe. In order to achieve extreme sensitivity of detectors, its components themselves must not generate any background that could potentially obscure the signal from dark matter. Another important physics goal is the search for so-called Majorana neutrinos. A similar detection technology enables us to look for this potential feature of neutrinos, which could shed lights on the reasons for why our Universe is mostly made up of matter and not antimatter.
The group works is in collaboration with local groups in Poland and international partners to develop radio-pure light detectors with high performance required for those exciting searches.
On the 22nd of February, after the public talks by the two Nobel Laureates in Physics organized by AstroCeNT, a reception for the distinguished guests was held at the Embassy of Canada to Poland in Warsaw. The event was dedicated to the cooperation of our countries in the field of research on dark matter (the Global Argon Dark Matter Collaboration), gravitational waves (LIGO/Virgo/KAGRA collaboration) and neutrinos (Hyper-Kamiokande) and was attended by Polish and foreign diplomats, representatives of Polish educational and scientific institutions, Polish scientists and guests from abroad.
During the reception at the Canadian Embassy the importance of international cooperation in promoting scientific research and understanding of the Universe was emphasized. By bringing together experts from different countries and fields, the event provided a space to exchange ideas and forge new partnerships.a
On the 22-23th of February 2023 AstroCeNT team had the honor of hosting two Nobel laureates in physics, Prof. Arthur B. McDonald (Canada) and Prof. Barry C. Barish (USA). The reason for their visit to Poland was the World Copernican Congress, which officially opened in Toruń on the 19th of February 2023, on the 550th anniversary of the birth of Nicolaus Copernicus, an icon of Polish and world science.
On the occasion of the Nobel laureates’ visit, a large-scale event was organized by AstroCeNT. The public talks entitled “Exploring the Hidden Universe” by Prof. McDonald and Prof. Barish were a resounding success and attracted more than 250 listeners.
