ECAP, the Erlangen Centre for Astroparticle Physics, is a research centre comprising 10 professors and over 150 scientists focusing on astrophysics and astroparticle physics. Collaborating with the University of Würzburg’s astrophysics group, they form the North Bavarian Science Cluster for Astronomy and Astroparticle Physics.

Astroparticle physics studies extreme phenomena across the Universe’s vast scales, such as particle acceleration to energies beyond human-made machines. However, understanding these mechanisms and the environments that facilitate cosmic accelerators remains elusive. Other areas of focus include black hole physics, dark matter search, neutrino properties, and spacetime quantum structure.

ECAP brings expertise in neutrino, X-ray, and very-high-energy gamma-ray astronomy, integrating research in neutrino physics, optical astronomy, and detector development. Theory groups focus on quantum gravity and statistical physics.

ECAP scientists are involved in constructing and operating detectors in extreme environments like deep sea ice, deep underground, and space. Detector development extends beyond fundamental research into successful technology transfer, e.g. in medical applications.