Welcome to the IMPRS-PTFS!

Welcome to the webpages of the "International Max Planck Research School for Precision Tests of Fundamental Symmetries in Particle Physics, Nuclear Physics, Atomic Physics and Astroparticle Physics at the Heidelberg University" (IMPRS-PTFS).

Structure of IMPRS-PTFS The IMPRS-PTFS is a combined effort of the Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics (MPIK) in collaboration with Heidelberg University.

Within the International Max Planck Research School (IMPRS) program of the Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, outstandingly qualified junior scientists from all over the world are provided with a structural doctoral training to obtain their doctoral degrees at universities in Germany. IMPRS students may work at Max Planck Institutes or at the university. In Germany all PhD degrees are awarded only by universities. The IMPRS-PTFS is one of 3 IMPRS in Heidelberg with physics topics, the other ones being the IMPRS-QD on Quantum Dynamics and the IMPRS-HD on Astronomy. They are joined by several Research Training Groups organized by the university. In Germany all PhD degrees are awarded only by universities. Overarching the PhD education in Heidelberg is the Heidelberg Graduate School For Physics (HGSFP).

The IMPRS-PTFS is devoted to fundamental physics, which has the goal to identify, understand and explain the most basic laws of Nature. The scientists involved in the IMPRS try to push forward the frontiers of our knowledge on fundamental physics both theoretically and experimentally, be it with low-energy neutrino and dark matter investigations, ultra-precise ion traps and storage rings, or with high-energy astro or LHC physics. Both theoretical and experimental perspectives are covered in the school.

Big questions can in principle be answered, such as: What is the mechanism responsible for the breaking of the electroweak symmetry? Are fermions and bosons related by supersymmetry? What lies behind the existence of generations of quarks and leptons? Are lepton number or baryon number conserved quantities? Is CPT and Lorentz invariance conserved? Are fundamental constants really constant? What are the properties of the quark-gluon plasma and of chiral symmetry at high temperatures? How is the matter-antimatter symmetry violated and how does it lead to the baryon asymmetry of the Universe? What are the properties of Dark Matter and Dark Energy?

The theoretical and experimental description and interpretation of the involved systems in a fundamental manner requires sound and in particular very broad knowledge of a variety of research fields.

In this exciting and timely scenario we will provide students a solid education in the above mentioned fields of research, with particular emphasis on inter- and crossdisciplinarity. Regular seminars and workshops will further broaden the intellectual horizon of the students, giving them excellent perspectives for the future. Further information about the School can be found in the Flyer.

International Max Planck Research Schools

In 1999, the Max Planck Society together with the Association of Universities and other Education Institutions in Germany launched an initiative to promote junior scientists called the International Max Planck Research Schools (IMPRS). These Schools offer especially gifted students from Germany and abroad the possibility to work towards their Ph.D. exam in a structured program providing excellent research conditions.

The Research Schools focus particularly on international cooperation and strive to attract foreign students to Germany to pursue their Ph.D. studies. The Schools would also like to familiarize the students with research facilities in Germany and spark the students' interest for future cooperative activities with German research institutes. The aim is to have foreigners account for at least half of the student body.

For more information on IMPRS, see the webpage of the Max Planck Society.

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