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| PhD Fellowship in Quantum machine learning to detect Dark Matter with Atomic Nuclei | Closing date: 2023-01-25
Contact: La Caixa Fellowships |
| This PhD project will create a new state-of-the-art model to predict the nuclear response observed at direct dark matter detection searches, starting from the most basic information on nuclear interactions. Combined with an eventual measurement, the results will be used to pin down the nature of dark matter. All in all, the project will provide candidates with a unique blend expertise at the interface between nuclear science, astroparticle physics and artificial intelligence techniques. | | ▸ more | Research Project:
This PhD project aims at building quantum machine learning algorithms to study the structure of atomic nuclei and to describe their interaction with dark matter particles. The nature of dark matter is one of the main open puzzles in modern physics. While all evidence for dark matter relies on astrophysical observations, several international collaborations aim to detect dark matter particles in laboratories by measuring their scattering off atomic nuclei. Experimental analyses demand a complete modelling of how dark matter interacts with nuclei. The outcome of this project is precisely to simulate nuclei using quantum machine learning techniques and consistently incorporate nucleus-dark-matter interactions in the model. The outcomes will be key to unveil the nature of dark matter once it is detected.
The project will be hosted by the Hadronic, Nuclear and Atomic Group (HadNucAtUB) at the Institute of Cosmos Sciences at the University of Barcelona (ICC-UB). The Group's expertise covers many-body techniques to describe strongly interacting nuclear, hadron and atomic quantum systems. In this project, you will work alongside Drs Arnau Rios and Javier Menéndez. Dr Rios has pioneered the use of machine learning techniques to solve quantum many-body nuclei, and Dr Menéndez is one of the world leaders in the study dark matter interactions with nuclei. The HadNucAtUB Group has a long tradition of PhD supervision; hosts an active seminar program, and PhD candidates at ICCUB have access to a series of engaging activities including conferences, colloquia and outreach events. This project involves research at the cutting edge of several fields, including nuclear, particle physics and astrophysics. ICCUB is unique in that it actively combines all these fields in a single institute.
Job position description
You will join the HadNucAtUB group at the Institute of Cosmos Sciences at the University of Barcelona (ICCUB) to develop innovative theoretical methods at the frontier of current research. This will allow you to describe the interaction of one of the most promising candidates for dark matter particles, WIMPs, with atomic nuclei. You will calculate this from first principles, based on the fundamental theory of the strong interaction, quantum chromodynamics (QCD), and on the interaction of WIMPs with the fundamental Standard Model fields, quarks and gluons. This has been challenging in the past due to the difficulty to solve QCD at low energies, the complexity of strongly correlated atomic nuclei, and because the interactions of dark matter with quarks and gluons are not known. At ICCUB, we are in a unique position to tackle these challenges. You will use techniques, including effective field theory, to describe nuclear interactions and also to organize consistently the possible interactions of dark matter particles with nucleons; you will learn quantum many-body theory, to describe atomic nuclei; and finally, you will become familiar with high-performance computing, to generate different sets of simulations. All of these will be used as input in a machine learning environment that will provide a direct connection between the nucleon-nucleon interaction, the coupling of dark matter particles with nucleons, and the nuclear responses expected to be observed at world leading experiments.
This PhD project will create a new state-of-the-art model to predict the nuclear response observed at direct dark matter detection searches, starting from the most basic information on nuclear interactions. Combined with an eventual measurement, the results will be used to pin down the nature of dark matter. All in all, the project will provide candidates with a unique blend expertise at the interface between nuclear science, astroparticle physics and artificial intelligence techniques.
More information:
Group leader
Dr. Arnau Rios Huguet ?arnau.rios @ icc.ub.edu
Research product / Research group
Arnau Rios' personal website
https://sites.google.com/view/arnaurios/home
Website for the Institute of Cosmos Sciences-UB
http://icc.ub.edu/
Hadronic, Nuclear and Atomic Physics Group Website at ICC
http://icc.ub.edu/research/research_areas/nuclear_physics
twitter feed of the ICCUB
https://twitter.com/ICC_UB
twitter feed of the Hadronic, Nuclear and Atomic Physics group at ICCUB
https://twitter.com/HadNucAtUB
twitter feed of Dr Arnau Rios Huguet
https://twitter.com/RiosArnau
https://icc.ub.edu/node/21454
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