Here you can find a non-exclusive list of possible topics of PhD theses in our IMPRS. You can also get a feeling for the physics performed in the school by looking at the theses of our
| Topic |
Details |
Contact |
| Nuclear Magnetic Moment of 3He |
Nuclear magnetic resonance probes based on spin-polarized 3He enable most accurate magnetic field measurements in the field of fundamental physics. However, to date, the latter lack a calibration by a direct measurement of the nuclear magnetic moment of 3He. To this end, techniques that rely on the quantum-nondemolition measurement of the nuclear spin state will be employed to measure within this PhD thesis the nuclear magnetic moment with parts-per-billion accuracy for the first time. |
Prof. Dr. Klaus BLAUM |
| 3H-3He mass ratio |
The Standard Model of particle physics is known to be incomplete. Among others the latter does not account for a finite mass of the neutrino as in contrast observed in experiments. Thus within this thesis the 3H-3 mass ratio will be measured with unprecedented accuracy, to support a precise neutrino mass measurement at the Karlsruhe Tritium Neutrino experiment KATRIN. |
Prof. Dr. Klaus Blaum |
| Baryogenesis in Extensions of the Standard Model |
The observed matter-antimatter asymmetry cannot be understood within the Standard Model (SM). In a PhD thesis, extensions of the SM that can address further problems, such as the hierarchy problem or the flavor puzzle, will be explored regarding their potential to explain the matter-antimatter asymmetry. |
Dr. Florian GOERTZ*
(till Jan 2026) |
| Unification and the Strong CP Problem |
Models that unify different aspects of the Standard Model (SM), such as the Higgs and the gauge sectors or the different gauge groups, offer the possibility of 'automatically' emerging axions, potentially solving another puzzle of the SM: the strong CP problem. In a PhD Thesis, concrete examples of such models will be worked out and analyzed. |
Dr. Florian GOERTZ*
(till Jan 2026) |
| The Higgs Potential as a Window to New Physics |
Several of the issues not understood within the SM can be linked to the scalar potential, such as the lightness of the Higgs boson, the matter-antimatter asymmetry, the origin of Dark Matter, and vacuum stability. This sector could be accessed at the LHC via examining Higgs-pair production - a flagship measurement of the long-term running. In a PhD thesis, a novel model-independent approach to characterize Dark Matter will be explored regarding its impact on the matter-antimatter asymmetry and its new interactions will be confronted with measurements of Higgs-pair production at the LHC.
|
Dr. Florian GOERTZ*
(till Jan 2026) |
| Kinetic Mixing in String Theory |
Many experiments search for kinetic mixing between the Standard Model photon and a hypothetical hidden sector vector boson, the "dark photon". This is a very promising channel for the discovery of new physics. In addition, it is a channel where Superstring Theory makes interesting predictions, potentially accessible to proposed experimental searches. Thus, we are dealing with a unique opportunity to derive implications of quantum gravity and test them through high-precision experiments. |
Prof. Dr. Arthur HEBECKER |
| Testing UV-complete Models of Cosmological Inflation |
By now, cosmology has become a precision science, placing strong constraints on models of inflation as well as on the subsequent period of reheating and the resulting abundance of particles, including the QCD axion. The only UV framework for quantum gravity that is understood well enough to produce detailed models of inflation are Superstring compactifications. As it turns out, getting inflation in this setting is highly non-trivial and a very interesting interplay between the theoretical consistency requirements and the phenomenological constraints results. Many theoretical and phenomenological questions, from the inflationary power spectrum to dark matter and the cosmological implications of the Higgs portal remain wide open. |
Prof. Dr. Arthur HEBECKER |
| Probing Light New Particles |
Many extensions of the Standard Model predict new, low mass particles. Although they are often very weakly coupled to the Standard Model Particles that we use in experiments, there are many new opportunities for discovery. This is a rapidly developing field, benefitting from developments in precision measurements and quantum technologies. This is the time to find new applications to explore physics beyond the Standard Model. |
Prof. Dr. Joerg JAECKEL |
| Generative neural networks to improve LHC simulations and inference |
Generative neural network are revolutionizing our lives, and LHC physics is no exception. Like many research fields, we infer answers to (more or less) fundamental questions by relating complex data with precise simulations. Faster and more precise simulators can be developed with the help of modern machine learning. Even more exciting are new opportunities in optimal simulation-based inference and data unfolding. Amazing stuff! |
Prof. Dr. Tilman PLEHN |
| Anomaly detection in Jets and Events |
The dream behind LHC physics, in a few words, is to find and analyze events which cannot be explained by the Standard Model. Unsupervised machine learning offers a range of new methods, from general anomaly searches to guided searches for classes of signals, to data-driven background models. |
Prof. Dr. Tilman PLEHN |
| Using published likelihoods for kinematic distributions in global SMEFT analyses |
LHC data is not only analyzed in detail by experimental collaborations, global studies for example in the SMEFT framework benefit from a close collaboration of experiment and theory. The main bottleneck in this exchange is circumvented by published likelihoods which allow theorists to reproduce experimental analyses in detail. While we cannot promise that we will discover new particles this way, we are trying like hell. |
Prof. Dr. Tilman PLEHN |
| A new experimental search for right-handed currents in muon decays |
Precise measurements of the electron spectrum using the decay of polarized muons is a powerful probe of right-handed currents. Taking advantage of an upcoming High-Intensity Muon Beamline, a new experiment will be set up, which can improve existing limits by orders of magnitude. |
Prof. Dr. Andre SCHOENING |
| Higgs self-coupling and di-Higgs production at the LHC |
Exploring the properties of multi-Higgs interactions tests the
structure of the Higgs vacuum potential. The exact nature of the
Higgs sector has deep implications to how our universe evolved and
electroweak symmetry breaking. Here at Heidelberg, we develop new trigger
and analysis methods to search for di-Higgs production in final states
with b-quarks and with multiple bosons. |
Prof. Dr. Hans-Christian SCHULTZ-COULON |
| Measurement of Multi-Boson Production at the LHC |
The investigation of rare process with 2 or 3 Gauge-Bosons in the
final states (e.g. Vector Boson Scattering, W/Z VBF prodcution,
Wgammagamma-, WWgamma-, WZgamma-, ZZZ-production etc) can give insight into the
gauge structure of electroweak interactions. The HEP group at
KIP has a long-standing expertise in such measurements with
highest possible precision and their interpretation e.g. in
the so-called EFT framework. |
Prof. Dr. Hans-Christian SCHULTZ-COULON |
| Raw data analysis and trigger development within the DELight experiment. |
DELight is an upcoming direct dark matter search experiment using superfluid helium and MMC wafer calorimeters. The analysis of raw data is crucial for a deep understanding of the detector response and for first level event classification. Also trigger decisions will be based on raw data information and both raw data analysis and trigger algorithm development and implementation are at the core of this project. |
Prof. Dr. Belina VON KROSIGK |
| Development of AI-based trigger algorithms on FPGA-level for low-threshold direct dark matter search experiments |
Light dark matter candidates entered the focus of various ongoing experiments like CRESST or are the motivation for new experiments like DELight. To maximize their reach at low masses, also the smallest energy depositions close to the baseline noise become relevant. As long as data can be read and stored continuously, sophisticated offline algorithms can identify and reconstruct these events. With growing detector sizes and/or a growing number of channels, continuous readout becomes increasingly resource heavy. The development and implementation of robust and efficient trigger algorithms on FPGA-level, that may involve machine learning based approaches, is the goal of this project to offer a solution to reduce the data size while keeping the low-mass sensitivity as high as possible. |
Prof. Dr. Belina VON KROSIGK |
| Raw data analysis and first level event classification within the CRESST experiment |
CRESST is an ongoing direct dark matter search experiment using cryogenic solid state crystals and TES-based sensors. Studying the interplay between the TES geometry and layout, SQUID readout system and the raw pulse shapes is crucial for a deep understanding of the detector response and a robust event reconstruction which will be at the focus of this project. |
Prof. Dr. Belina VON KROSIGK |
