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Astroparticle Physics addresses processes and structures in the interplay of extreme phenomena at smallest and largest scales in the Universe. We know for instance, that particles are accelerated to energies exceeding those of man-made machines by many orders of magnitude. But we still lack a solid understanding of the acceleration mechanisms and the astronomical environment that nature has chosen to realize the cosmic accelerators. Other examples are the physics of black holes and their vicinity, the search for dark matter, the investigation of neutrino properties employing cosmic sources or the quantum structure of space-time.

ECAP is a research centre encompassing the working groups of 11 professors with over 150 scientists. ECAP is an Emerging Field Centre of the University Erlangen-Nuremberg. Together with the astrophysics group at the University of Würzburg it builds up the North Bavarian Science Cluster for Astronomy and Astroparticle Physics.

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ECAP combines expertise in the fields of neutrino, X-ray and very-high-energy gamma-ray astronomy. ECAP also integrates the research in neutrino physics, in optical astronomy and the development of new detectors. Theory groups work in quantum gravity and statistical physics. With the ECAP, the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg has created an outstanding framework for scientists to participate in major projects of astroparticle physics: in neutrino astronomy we participate in the projects ANTARES, KM3NeT and IceCube; the experiments H.E.S.S. and CTA work in the field of very-high-energy gamma-ray astronomy; the satellite experiments eROSITA and ATHENA belong to a new generation of X-ray telescopes; EXO-200, nEXO and ORCA investigate neutrino properties. In all of these experiments, scientists of the ECAP are deeply involved in the manifold challenges of constructing and running detectors in such extreme conditions as the deep sea/ice, deep underground or space. Detector development at ECAP is not restricted to fundamental research but is successfully transferred to medical applications.

The Milky Way

Since the year 2004, the University of Erlangen hosts the School for astroparticle physics (SAT), addressing students from all over Germany and from abroad. Starting 2015 the school is held in English and is open to international participants. The yearly school, running for 10 days in October, allows the participants to deepen their understanding of the fundamental concepts of astroparticle physics, and to gain insight on up-to-date research topics and to get to know each other.

News:

From May 8th to May 12th ECAP hosted the first in a series of two workshops in multi-messenger high-energy astrophysics between the Astroparticle Physics groups of the FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg and the São Carlos Institute of Physics – University of São Paulo. The workshops are jointly funded by the Bav...

Twice yearly the H.E.S.S. Collaboration meets to discuss recent progress, both scientific and technical, and to discuss future plans for the H.E.S.S. experiment. At each collaboration meeting, the H.E.S.S. prize is awarded to an early career researcher who has made outstanding contributions to the e...

From April 2023, Prof. Dr. Claudio Kopper joins the ECAP. He takes over the Chair for Experimental Astroparticle Physics and will strengthen the research at ECAP with his work on the detection and analyses of high-energy neutrinos. The research of the group will span astroparticle physics in general...

At the current Collaboration meeting, the KM3NeT Collaboration awarded the first-ever Giorgos-Androulakis-Prize to ECAP early-career scientist Tamás Gál. The KM3NeT Collaboration meets online this week to discuss the progress and future plans of construction, operation and analysing the data of its ...

ECAP had the opportunity to welcome the science and technology counsellor from the Indian Embassy in Berlin, Dr. Madhusudan Reddy Nandineni, during his visit to FAU. International collaboration is a key aspect of many of ECAP’s activities and we had a valuable discussion to strengthen scientif...

The Meter-wavelength radio astronomy community in Germany is organized in the German Long Wavelength Consortium (GLOW). One particular priority of GLOW is the operation of the German LOFAR stations. LOFAR is the world’s largest low-frequency radio telescope and will remain so for the foreseeab...

Time to celebrate! The new ECAP Laboratory building was officially inaugurated last week. The ECAP can now be found in our brand new research building at Nikolaus-Fiebiger-Str. 2. For more information about the official inauguration with ministers Blume and Herrmann please see the FAU press release.