June 2022
From prototype to physics
“These are very exciting times for me right now. Because the parts for the final detector of the MAGIX experiment, which I helped to develop during my PhD, are currently being manufactured. We want to use MAGIX to answer many important physical questions at the new MESA accelerator – and the entire setup will allow us to take more precise measurements than ever before.
The trick here is that as little material as possible is “built into” the entire experiment that could interfere with our measurement. This applies both to the target on which the high-intensity electron beam from MESA is scattered and to the detector with which we analyze the scattering products.
©: Angelika Stehle
I have constructed more than 10 prototypes over the last few years to test various aspects of a new type of detector concept. Scattered electrons leave three-dimensional traces in a gas mixture, which are amplified and made visible by special foils - no thicker than a hair and with lots of holes. The manual and precision mechanical work required to develop these detectors is one aspect of my work – another is the theoretical simulation of the physics program that we want to run with MAGIX. I am interested in dark photons and the question of whether we can search for them in a previously inaccessible area with our experiment. The simulations here are very promising, so we are eagerly awaiting the experiment.
It is exactly this combination of theory and experiment that is special. But there is another aspect: to really get to grips with a topic, it is very good to teach it to others. That's why I have never missed an opportunity to supervise students on internships, bachelor's or master's theses.
I really enjoy working and researching at the Institute for Nuclear Physics and appreciate the special expertise available as well as the good working atmosphere. And the opportunity to assemble a detector myself in the PRISMA Detector Lab and test it in the MAMI accelerator right on the campus – that's quite extraordinary.”
Pepe Gülker is about to complete his PhD in Professor Achim Denig's group. The broad spectrum and range of tasks are particularly important to him. He has already completed his physics degree in Mainz and wrote his diploma thesis here.