02.04.2025
With Professor Dr. Dr. Livia Ludhova, PRISMA+ welcomes an outstanding expert in the field of low-energy neutrino physics. Livia Ludhova has been Professor of Experimental Neutrino Physics at JGU since September 2024 and will contribute her extensive experience to the research of the PRISMA+ Cluster of Excellence. She is also head of the Neutrino Research Group at FAIR Forschung NRW of the GSI Helmholtz Center for Heavy Ion Research. The group was established in November 2015, when Livia Ludhova became a W2 professor at the Physics Institute IIIB, RWTH Aachen University and received funding from the Helmholtz recruitment initiative. At that time, she and her group were based at IKP-2, Helmholtz Research Center Jülich.
Livia Ludhova was born in Bratislava, Slovakia, in 1973, where she earned a M.Sc. and Ph.D. in geology and a M.Sc. in physics. She then moved to Fribourg, Switzerland, where she completed her doctorate in experimental physics in the field of muonic hydrogen spectroscopy.
The Borexino Experiment
In 2005, she started at INFN (Italian National Institute for Nuclear Physics) in Milano, Italy, where she worked on the Borexino experiment. “It was a pioneering experiment in the Italian Gran Sasso underground laboratory that detected solar neutrinos and geoneutrinos. The Borexino experiment contributed significantly to the precise characterization of energy production in the sun, performed a comprehensive spectroscopy of solar neutrinos and the first observation of the CNO fusion cycle.”, explains Livia Ludhova. For this achievement, the collaboration was awarded the prestigious Giuseppe and Vanna Cocconi Prize of the European Physical Society in 2021. As the physics coordinator of Borexino, Livia Ludhova played a key role in driving the experiment’s scientific agenda.
Juno - Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory
Since 2014, she has also been involved in the international JUNO project in southern China. This project will enable completely new precision measurements of neutrino oscillations by means of its 20,000-ton liquid scintillator detector. “My whole group of nearly ten people is now focused on JUNO, in particular on the analysis of first data and on commissioning the detector while it is being filled with liquid scintillator.” JUNO will also be an important astrophysical observatory and has the potential to improve Borexino measurements of solar and geoneutrinos. As a member of the Executive Committee, Livia Ludhova contributes her extensive expertise to the strategic development of the experiment.
Recognition for Excellence in Science and International Promotion in Slovakia
On January 11, 2025, Livia Ludhova was awarded the Order of Ľudovít Štúr, 2nd Class, Civil Division by the President of the Slovak Republic, in Bratislava, Slovakia, for her exceptional contributions to the development of the Slovak Republic in the field of science and technology, as well as for her outstanding efforts in promoting the good reputation of the Slovak Republic abroad.
Neutrinos in Particle Physics at JGU
To Livia Ludhova, JGU is a perfect match. She has collaborated with Prof. Wurm for many years, both in Borexino and in JUNO. Additionally, she can also reconnect with her former colleague Prof. Randolf Pohl, with whom she had already worked on the proton radius puzzle at the Paul Scherrer Institute, Switzerland, while he was a postdoc and she a PhD student. Last but not least, she is looking forward to the scientific exchange with the large neutrino group at JGU.
With her many years of experience, Livia Ludhova has specialized in the investigation of neutrino properties with large-volume liquid scintillator detectors. Her research focuses on solar neutrinos, geoneutrinos, reactor, and atmospheric neutrinos. “Neutrinos are fascinating from the perspective of particle physics, as their tiny mass, weak interactions, and unique properties challenge our understanding of the fundamental building blocks of nature. They also serve as cosmic messengers in astrophysics, carrying valuable information from distant and extreme environments, such as the solar core, the deep Earth or the supernovae”, she explains. Livia Ludhova strengthens the research in the PRISMA+ Cluster of Excellence and contributes to the further development of physics in Mainz as an international center for fundamental interactions. Her excellent scientific expertise is an enrichment for JGU and the entire particle physics research community.
In her private time, Livia Ludhova enjoys traveling and documentary photography. She has visited 82 countries. Her most unconventional destinations have been a sailing trip to Antarctica and a very recent trip to the Sahara Desert in Chad.