Possible PhD theses

There are many more dissertation topics. If you don’t find a suitable topic here, please have a look at the research fields, and in case of interest, contact one of the mentioned PIs directly.

On this page here only a selection of dissertation topics are given, mostly interdisciplinary topics. Behind each title (preliminary) you find the names of supervisors. Please contact them directly in case of interest (list of supervisors).

 

Joint topics between particle/astroparticle physics and informatics/computer science

  • Quantum machine learning for high energy physics algorithms – Streit (Kühn)
  • Workflow management systems for distributed, heterogeneous resources for processing of large data volumes – Quast, Streit
  • Caching strategies for efficient acces to particle physics data – Quast, Streit
  • Reinforcement Learning for Dynamic Resource Management – Ferber (Schnepf)
  • Machine learning assisted simultaneous measurement of top quark-antiquark production in association with Higgs bosons Z bosons, and heavy-flavor jets – Husemann (Waßmer)
  • Missing transverse momentum reconstruction with Graph Neural Networks in the search for Dark Matter at the LHC – Husemann (Waßmer)
  • Development of real-time tracking and clustering algorithms – Ferber, Becker

 

Joint topics related to neutrino physics (KATRIN) and technology

  • Electron cyclotron resonance - a novel tool to actively suppress background in the KATRIN spectrometers from trapped particles by HF technologies – Drexlin (Glück), Wüstling
  • Optimized tritium retention techniques based on condensing Argon frost at 3-6 K – Noe (Bornschein), Drexlin (Wolf)
  • Bolometric read-out technology for KATRIN; optimisation of high resolution electron spectroscopy at 18.6 keV – Drexlin (Schlösser), Kopmann (Caselle), Sander
  • Bolometric read-out technology for KATRIN; design of a 50 mK horizontal open cryostat for a high resolution bolometer – Noe (Grohmann), Drexlin (Steidl)
  • MRI technology for KATRIN; a novel approach to neutrino masses below 200 meV – Noe (Schneider, Gil), Drexlin (Bornschein)
  • GHz Antenna technology for detection of synchrotron radiation from trapped 18.6 keV beta-electrons in an MRI magnet – Wüstling, Drexlin (Thümmler)
  • Near Real-time analysis of KATRIN data – Drexlin (Bornschein), Kopmann (Chilingaryan)
  • A scalable data acquisition system for detectors with thousands of pixel –  Wüstling, Kopmann

 

Joint topics between partice/astroparticle physics and technology: sensor technology, electronics & data processing

  • Enhancement of IceCube's surface array at the South Pole – Haungs
  • Radio measurements of cosmic rays at IceCube at the South Pole – Frank Schröder
  • High-frequency radio measurements of cosmic rays at the Pierre Auger Observatory – Frank Schröder
  • Validation of depleted MAPS processes for particle detectors – Müller (Dierlamm), Peric
  • Design of efficient readout and computing for trigger-less DAQ systems in large-scale experiments at Terabit/s scale – Kopmann (Caselle)
  • Innovative silicon pixel detectors with resistive AC-coupled LGADs for future experiments – Kopmann (Caselle)
  • Highly integrated, silicon photonic Tb/s data links for future particle detectors – Becker, Schneider, Kopmann
  • Search for Dark Matter signatures with the XENONnT experiment – Valerius, Eitel
  • Development of key hardware components for the DARWIN observatory – Valerius, Eitel
  • Investigation of tritium solubility and migration in two-phase Xenon-TPCs – Valerius, Größle
  • Synchronizing distributed detectors wirelessly on nanosecond-timescales – Huege
  • Development of cryogenic quantum sensors for high-precision energy-dispersive measurements – Kempf
  • Development of multiplexing systems for multi-channel quantum sensor readout – Kempf
  • Development of a particle detector with high spatial (20µm) and time resolution (20ps) – Peric (Caselle), Husemann (Dierlamm)
  • Development of beam monitoring systems for ion therapy – Peric, Husemann (Dierlamm)
  • FPGA-Based Architecture for a Low-Latency Track Trigger – Becker, Sander
  • Cosmic shower radio detection with AERA: determination and optimization of the trigger efficiency and data analysis – Kleifges, Haungs
  • Development of new highly granular calorimeters for photon tracking – Ferber, Klute

 

Joint topics between beam physics, electronics & data processing

  • Advancing front-end readout ASICs with BiCMOS SiGe technology  for ultra-fast sensors – A.S. Müller, Kopmann (Caselle)
  • Evaluation of Machine Learning Techniques for Data Acquisition Systems in large-scale Scientific Research – A.S. Müller, Kopmann (Caselle)
  • Heterogeneous computing with CPUs, GPUs, FPGAs, and custom accelerators; reduced-precision computations and hardware-aware techniques – A.S. Müller, Kopmann (Caselle), Sander
  • High-bandwidth data acquisition and low-latency control – optimizing PCI drivers, DMA engines and high-speed distributed storage for data transfer in the Tb/s regime – A.S. Müller, Kopmann (Caselle)

 

Joint topics involving informatics/computer science, electronics & data processing

  • Efficient simulation and analysis of extensive air showers of ultra-high energy on modern parallel computing architectures – Streit, Engel
  • Serenity-S: A Tb/s data processing platform for the CMS L1 Track Trigger – Sander
  • Readout of superconducting microcalorimeter arrays utilizing flux-ramp multiplexing – Sander
  • Development of automatized characterization for the evaluation of superconducting sensors – Sander
  • Novel readout and multiplexing techniques for superconducting sensors – Sander
  • Heterogenous computing and reconfiguration for high-performance image reconstruction in 3D ultrasonic computer tomography for breast cancer diagnosis – Ruiter, Becker
  • Development and Installation of an advanced data center for cosmic ray data for public use – Streit, Haungs

 

Joint topics between particle and astroparticle physics


  • Analysis of KASCADE-Grande data and comparison with astrophysical models on the origin of the knee and the galactic- extragalactic transition of the source of cosmic rays – Haungs, forthcoming astroparticle theorist
  • A comprehensive study of fluctuation effects in development of air showers and fluctuations in their detection – Roth
  • Advancing the ultra-high energy photon, neutrino, and cosmic ray trigger capabilities of the Pierre Auger Observatory using the hardware of the AugerPrime upgrade – Roth
  • A novel concept for the reconstruction of fluorescence detector data – Roth
  • Design and construction of prototype SiPM camera for cosmic-ray and neutrino detection – Roth, Kleifges
  • Phenomenology of neutrinos and/or dark matter – Schwetz-Mangold
  • Neutrino physics with dark matter detectors – Schwetz-Mangold
  • Measurement of nuclear fragmentation in oxygen-proton interactions with the NA61 experiment at CERN – Engel
  • Search for photons and neutrinos in cosmic ray data using machine learning – Roth
  • Testing hadronic interaction models through cross-calibrated measurements of the electromagnetic and hadronic components of extensive air showers using the multi-hybrid capabilities of the AugerPrime upgrade – Roth
  • Exploring the muon deficit in extensive air showers exploiting the multi-detector setup of the Pierre Auger Observatory – Roth
  • Precision measurements of the properties and production of the observed Higgs boson, exploiting modern methods of machine learning on the new data of the CERN LHC – Klute, Quast
  • Search for the successor of the standard model in the Higgs sector with the new data of the CERN LHC – Klute, Quast
  • Study of cosmic magnetism and cosmic-ray anisotropies – Engel
  • Measurement of GHz radiation produced in air showers due to molecular bremsstrahlung in a dedicated laboratory experiment and the Electron Light Facility of the Telescope Array experiment – Engel
  • Analysis of the mass composition of the highest-energy cosmic rays with the Auger Radio Detector – Huege
  • Dark energy and TeV-scale physics – Drexlin

 

Joint topics between theoretical and experimental particle physics

  • Search for axion-like particles in B→Ka, a→γγ – Ferber
  • Search for invisible particles in B→Ka decays – Ferber
  • Search for sterile neutrinos in B+→ μ+ ν at Belle II – Ferber (Goldenzweig)
  • Search for light particles beyond the Standard Model with beam dumps and optical dumps – Ferber, Kahlhoefer 
  • Investigation of the Higgs self-coupling in Di-Higgs events at the LHC – Wolf, Quast, Husemann, Heinrich
  • Precision simulations and measurements of the properties and production of the observed Higgs boson, exploiting modern methods of machine learning on the new data of the CERN LHC – Klute, Quast, Heinrich

 

Joint topics between Data Acquisition and Cloud-/High-Performance Computing

  • Combining Cloud- and High-Performance computing with Smart-Fabrics and novel software concepts for ultra high-performance data acquisition systems – Chilingaryan, Kopmann
  • Micro-service based decentralized data acquisition system with web-based interfaces for data visualization and process control – Chilingaryan, Kopmann
  • New database technologies for the organization of volumetric time-series data – Chilingaryan, Kopmann
  • Building online data processing chains with Scientific Workflow Engines and RDMA (Remote Direct Memory Access) techniques – Chilingaryan, Kopmann
  • RDMA (Remote Direct Memory Access) fabric for low-latency distributed computing systems with Smart-Switches to handle fault tolerance – Chilingaryan, Kopmann
  • Embedding existing HPC infrastructure in a new type of Cloud-based data-acquistion and management systems – Chilingaryan, Kopmann
  • Real-time data processing beyond CPUs and GPUs: harnessing the power of FPGAs, Quantum Computers, Computing-in-Memory controllers, Neuro-Accelerators, etc. – Chilingaryan, Kopmann
  • Using approximate computing techniques for online data visualization and real-time process control – Chilingaryan, Kopmann
  • Online compression of volumetric time-series data in distributed dataacquisition systems using loseless and lossy compression techniques and hardware acceleration – Chilingaryan, Kopmann
  •  Leveraging DSL (Domain Specific Languages) to generate highly-optimized architecture-specific codes from user-friendly mathematical notation – Chilingaryan, Kopmann
  • Triggering and preprocessing for the XFEL DAQ – Sander, Kopmann