Astrocent

We are always excited to support the next generation of researchers!

Recently, Meera Patel, a Master's student from Nikhef and the University of Amsterdam, visited Astrocent to take data for her research project using our ArGSet cryostat equipped with a new nanosecond-pulsed UV light source.

Detailed characterisation of the fluorescence time profile of the material samples that she brought will enable better background mitigation and, in consequence, more sensitive dark matter detectors.

Meera's visit to Astrocent was made possible by the Olga Igonkina Scholarship 2025, which supports her work on the XENONnT dark matter detector and enabled her to carry out dedicated tests with our nanosecond‑pulsed UV laser as part of her research stay in Warsaw.

Astrocent and Nikhef are partners in the DRD2 collaboration, and Meera’s project contributes directly to the goals of WP2.
🔗 https://drd2.web.cern.ch

📅Join us on March 26 at 2 PM for a talk by Prof. Fabrice Piquemal, Director of the Laboratoire de Physique des Deux Infinis Bordeaux (CNRS/IN2P3 – Université de Bordeaux).

🔬 This talk is titled: “R2D2: A new high‑pressure Xenon TPC for neutrinoless double beta decay search”

Prof. Piquemal will present the latest R&D from the R2D2 collaboration — including detector prototypes, full‑scale simulations, background modeling, and projected sensitivities reaching beyond 10²⁷ years. The experiment aims to push neutrinoless double‑beta decay searches into new territory and potentially probe the inverted neutrino mass hierarchy.

👤 A leading figure in neutrino physics, Prof. Piquemal has contributed to NEMO3, SuperNEMO, KamLAND, and served as Director of the Modane Underground Laboratory. He now leads the Bordeaux laboratory and works on the R2D2 project.

To attend, make sure to register and secure access to the link!
Registration (free): https://tinyurl.com/3p8c93cb

Look out for the next Astroparticle Frontiers seminar this Thursday!

For this episode of Astroparticle Frontiers we dive into one of the most exciting open questions in fundamental physics: the nature of neutrinos.

We’re pleased to welcome Dr. Samuele Torelli as the next Astrocent seminar speaker. He will present the NEXT experiment and its search for neutrinoless double beta decay, a key process for determining whether neutrinos are Majorana particles. The talk will cover NEXT’s high‑pressure xenon technology, results from the NEXT‑White prototype, and the experiment’s path toward a ton‑scale, background‑free detector with advanced barium‑tagging R&D.

📅Thursday, March 19, 2026
⏰2 pm (CET)
📣Speaker: Dr. Samuele Torelli (Donostia International Physics Center, Spain)
Talk title: “The NEXT experiment searching for neutrinoless double beta decay”

To attend, make sure to register and secure access to the link!
Registration (free): https://tinyurl.com/3p8c93cb

Whether you are in the field or simply fascinated by the universe, this is a seminar you won’t want to miss! Stay tuned!