Degree and Student Projects
Instrumentation and Accelerators
FREIA is a newly built laboratory for advancing accelerator physics. We work on development of various hardware for accelerators, physics of charged particle beams and generation of light by accelerated charges. In particular, at present we are working on characterization of superconducting accelerating cavities; studying of breakdowns in accelerating structures for the Compact Linear Collider; development of efficient microwave sources for driving accelerators; dynamics of vortices in superconductors; generation of single-cycle THz radiation with a field strength in the V/Å range. We offer projects of various complexities from hard-core theoretical studies of the dynamics of vortices in superconductors and generation of single-cycle pulses of THz light to very applied developments in microwave engineering.
Water Cherenkov Test Experiment
Master Thesis project at CERN, Geneva, Spring 2025
A Water Cherenkov Test Experiment (WCTE https://cds.cern.ch/record/002712416 ) is being prepared at CERN by an international WCTE Collaboration with the purpose of studying in detail the final state particles electrons, muons, pions, protons, neutrons and gammas in the interactions of neutrinos with water in Water Cherenkov Detectors in neutrino-oscillation experiments like T2K in Japan ( https://t2k-experiment.org/ ), that planned for Hyper-K in Japan ( https://www.hyperk.org/ ) and that planned for ESSnuSB in Lund and in Zinkgruvan near Askersund in Sweden ( https://essnusb.eu/ , see in particular the videos accessible at this site which give an overview of the planned ESSnuSB experiment).
The final state particles will be detected and identified in a 50 m³ water tank equipped with photo multiplier tubes on its inside walls that will measure the Cherenkov radiation generated by the different kinds of beam-particles in in the water. The Uppsala Group in the WCTE Collaboration has in particular contributed to the build-up and tests of the system that provides the ultrapure water used as radiating medium in the Cherenkov detector and the addition of Gadolinium in the water for enhanced neutron detection-efficiency.
The Master Thesis project will consist in taking part in the preparation and data taking of the experiment in the t9 secondary beam from the Proton Synchrotron in the East Hall at CERN during the spring of 2025 and the analysis during and following the data taking. A particular feature to be tested in the run in the spring will be the project to mix in Gadolinium in the Cherenkov-detector water.
Contact
The WCTE water purification system at CERN
A WCTE multi Photo Multiplier Tube detector
Electro-magnetic design and analysis of LEnuSTORM magnet system
Superconducting magnets are the backbone of circular accelerator technology, and they are responsible for steering and focusing the particle beams inside an accelerator. In this thesis project, the student will be responsible for performing a parametric study on a unique magnet system especially designed for LEnuSTORM.
LEnuSTORM is a racetrack storage ring which will became a component of the European Spallation Source neutrino Super Beam (ESSνSB) experiment. The racetrack will store muons, and the muon- and electron-neutrinos, that result from muon decays, will be used to create a beam to measure neutrino cross-sections and look for sterile neutrinos.
The strong anisotropy of the storage ring is what makes this racetrack unique. Because LEnuSTORM produces useful neutrinos in its straight sections, the racetrack curves must be as short as possible to minimize muon waste. As a result, LEnuSTORM magnet system, used to store and steer the muon, must be compact and optimized.
The goal of the student will be to model the magnet system of the racetrack using the dedicated software RAT-GUI and to study different electro-magnetic configurations. The student will gain knowledge of superconducting magnet technology throughout the project, and the outcomes will be published in a scientific journal.
Contact
Expulsion of magnetic fluxes in type-II superconductors upon the transition from a normal- to superconducting state
If a type-II superconductor is exposed to an external magnetic field upon the transition from a normal- to superconducting state, then the magnetic field gets trapped in the material and the performance of the superconductor degrades. Specifically, the residual resistance of the superconductor, which is a measure of resistance to alternating currents, decreases. In the applications of type-II superconductors such as superconducting accelerating cavities, it is vital to have the residual resistance as low as possible to minimize the heat load produced by accelerating fields in the cavity. In this project, you will study experimentally and theoretically the novel phenomenon of expulsion of magnetic fluxes by the moving superconducting phase front during fast cool down of superconducting cavities.
Contact
Coupling of slow waveguide modes to surface plasmons of a subwavelength wire
We are developing a new technique of testing accelerating cavities, in which a subwavelength wire is used to mimic a beam of charged particles. The accelerating field of the cavity couples to surface plasmons of the wire and the electromagnetic energy is transferred from the cavity to the outside world via the wire resembling the process of particle acceleration. In the project you will perform analytical calculations of plasmonic modes of the subwavelength wire, run computer simulations with the professional software ‘CST Microwave Studio’ to study the coupling of cavity modes to the plasmonic modes and participate in experimental verification of the result in our microwave laboratory.
Contact
Diffraction of single-cycle THz pulses
THz radiation is becoming increasingly important in several areas of physics, chemistry and biology because its spectral range corresponds to numerous collective excitations in multiatomic systems such as molecular rotations, DNA dynamics, spin waves, Cooper pairs and so forth. Strong single-cycle THz pulses allow engineering new dynamic states of matter and one of the spectacular examples of using THz radiation for controlling the properties of materials is the THz light-induced superconductivity. If you like mathematical challenges, then this project is for you. We will tackle the problem of diffraction of single-cycle THz pulses in free-space. Specifically, the simulations show that the spatial diffraction "results in the differentiation of the temporal profile" of a single-cycle pulse so that the pulses becomes a quasi-half-cycle. In the project we will look into the math and physics behind this phenomenon.
Contact
RF power measurement at FREIA
At the FREIA Laboratory, the general focus is on developing particle accelerator technology that later could be used in large research facilities, such as CERN, European Spallation Source (ESS)... We are presently developing a 10 kW RF power amplifier based on solid state transistors. Each transistor needs a dedicated monitoring. The work consists in developing the RF power measurement, using a SWR meter or VSWR (voltage standing wave ratio) and the Arduino microcontroller.
Contact
Electro-acoustic stability of superconducting accelerators
The purpose of an accelerating cavity is to accelerate charged particles when they traverse the cavity. Acceleration is realized through a longitudinal electric field. One can imagine the acceleration of particles as surfers riding on an ocean wave. However, there is number of physical effects that make the cavity operation difficult. One of the negative effects reducing the stability of the excited field is the deformation of cavity walls caused by an electromagnetic pressure, a so-called Lorentz force detuning. Collisions of photons with cavity walls create such pressure determined by the Poynting vector. The project is devoted to studying mechanical oscillations of a superconducting cavity caused by the Lorentz force detuning and methods of its prevention.
Contact
RF Breakdown studies for CLIC
After the successful start of the LHC accelerator at CERN, we expect many years of discoveries that could lead to better understanding of the universe. Accelerator physicists however continue to plan for future facilities where more detailed studies of particle physics secrets can be done at higher energies. CLIC, the Compact Linear Collider, is the proposed successor to the LHC. In the CLIC particles are accelerated by a very strong electric field. Unfortunately, large electric fields can lead to vacuum discharges which in turn can affect the particle beam and lead to reduced performance of the CLIC accelerator. Studies of the physics behind vacuum discharges and its effect on the beam is therefore an important issue we are investigating in Uppsala.
In this project, students will learn how to manage experimental signals in large data sets stored by the logging system. The signals must be synchronized, analysed and correlated in a data analysis program to determine what physical processes occur during the discharge. The results of these measurements will contribute to the development of theory and verification of accelerating structures by providing information about the kinematics of charged particles inside the accelerating structure.
Contact
Other Ongoing Projects
If you are interested in discussing other ongoing projects, here is a list of contacts.
Solid state amplifier development and RF amplification and transmission
Accelerator physics
The CLIC accelerator project
The Neutrino Super Beam project
Contact
- Programme Professor
- Hermann Dürr