General information
Organisation
The French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) is a key player in research, development and innovation in four main areas :
• defence and security,
• nuclear energy (fission and fusion),
• technological research for industry,
• fundamental research in the physical sciences and life sciences.
Drawing on its widely acknowledged expertise, and thanks to its 16000 technicians, engineers, researchers and staff, the CEA actively participates in collaborative projects with a large number of academic and industrial partners.
The CEA is established in ten centers spread throughout France
Reference
SL-DRF-25-0415
Direction
DRF
Thesis topic details
Category
Corpuscular physics and outer space
Thesis topics
Development of Reconstruction Algorithms for the New High-Angle Time Projection Chambers in the T2K Experiment and Measurement of CP Violation in Neutrino Oscillations
Contract
Thèse
Job description
Neutrinos are promising messengers for detecting physics beyond the Standard Model. Their elusive nature and unexplained mass suggest they could open new pathways for physics. Neutrino oscillation research has entered a precision era with experiments like T2K, which in 2020 observed hints of CP violation in the leptonic sector that could shed light on the question of matter-antimatter asymmetry in the Universe.
The T2K experiment, located in Japan, studies neutrino oscillations by generating an intense beam of muon neutrinos (and anti-neutrinos). This beam is measured at two locations: a near detector, designed to reduce systematic uncertainties related to the neutrino flux and interaction models, and a far detector (Super-Kamiokande), tasked with measuring the disappearance of muon neutrinos and the appearance of electron neutrinos after oscillation.
In 2023, T2K entered its second phase with increased beam power and upgrade of the near detector, including a highly granular new target and High-Angle Time Projection Chambers (HA-TPC). These improvements enable more precise reconstruction of particles produced by neutrino interactions.
IRFU teams contributed by developing HA-TPCs equipped with resistive Micromegas technology. This work improves spatial resolution and the precision of particle momentum. The thesis explores optimizing the particle track reconstruction algorithms in the HA-TPCs using advanced techniques, as well as analyzing T2K data with the upgraded ND280 to achieve a 3 sigma level of significance for CP violation. T2K is thus paving the way for future experiments like DUNE and Hyper-Kamiokande, opening new perspectives for the next two decades.
University / doctoral school
Thesis topic location
Site
Saclay
Requester
Position start date
01/10/2025
Person to be contacted by the applicant
Henaff David
david.henaff@cern.ch
CEA
DRF/IRFU/DPhP
CEA Saclay
DRF/IRFU/SPP
91191 Gif Sur Yvette cedex
Tutor / Responsible thesis director
Eurin Guillaume
guillaume.eurin@cea.fr
CEA
DRF/IRFU/DPHP
IRFU/DPhP (bat141, p51a)
Centre CEA de Saclay (Essonne)
Gif-sur-Yvette
91191 cedex
0169085925
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