Stellar Forensics with the Most Powerful Explosions in the Universe Core-collapse Supernovae (SNe), Long-duration Gamma-ray Bursts (GRBs) and exotic transients are exploding massive stars and constitute the most powerful explosions in the universe. Because they are visible over large cosmological distances, release elements heavier than Helium, and leave behind extreme...
Gravitational waves in a new light Ultra-precisely stabilised lasers are the interferometric light sources at the heart of gravitational wave detectors. To achieve ever-higher detection rates for meaningful gravitational wave astronomy, ever-greater detection sensitivity is required. In this talk, I will introduce the principle of interferometric gravitational wave detection, and...
Recent results from IceCube and the future of neutrino astronomy at the South Pole The IceCube neutrino observatory at the geographic South Pole has now been operating at full capacity for ten years. Following the first observation of astrophysical neutrinos in the TeV -- PeV energy range in 2013, cosmic...
Origin of UHECR: current status of a decades-long open question Ultra-high-energy cosmic rays (UHECR) are the most energetic known particles of the Universe, being accelerated to energies up to 7 orders of magnitude higher than those achieved in human-made accelerators. Their origins, however, remain an intriguing puzzle even decades after...
Light-Shining-Through-A-Wall: The ALPS II experiment at DESY The ALPS II at DESY in Hamburg is a light-shining-through-a-wall (LSW) experiment searching for axion-like elementary particles in the sub eV mass range, which are motivated by astrophysics and cosmology. ALPS II aims at an axion-photon coupling sensitivity which is several orders of...
The ECAP Laboratory The ECAP Laboratory will provide the infrastructure for the experimental-based research of the scientific groups of the institute. The concept of this "Forschungsbau" as well as the timeline for the completion and start of operation will be presented.
Radio Detection of High Energy Neutrinos and Deep Learning In this seminar talk, I will present the current status of in-ice radio detection of ultra-high-energy (UHE, E > 10^16 eV) neutrinos and how we use deep learning to improve the trigger system and event reconstruction. UHE neutrinos are connected to...
Two years of eROSITA all-sky surveys: The variable X-ray sky The eROSITA telescope onboard the SRG satellite was launched on 13 July 2019. After an initial phase of calibration and performance verification observations eROSITA started its all-sky survey operation in December 2019. Covering the entire sky within 6 months, eROSITA...
Galaxy evolution and cosmology using gamma rays observed with Fermi-LAT The light emitted by all galaxies across the history of the Universe is encoded in the intensity of the extragalactic background light (EBL), the diffuse cosmic radiation field at ultraviolet, optical, and infrared wavelengths. The EBL is a source of...
The Muon Puzzle in cosmic-ray induced air showers and its connection to the LHC High-energy cosmic rays are observed indirectly by detecting extensive particle showers initiated in Earth's atmosphere. These so-called air showers are hadronic cascades which produce a muon component via hadron decay. The muon number is a key...
Recent highlights from the LHAASO observatory The Large High Altitude Air Shower Observatory (LHAASO), located in China at 4410m above sea level, is a complex of extensive air shower (EAS) detector array. Utilizing different detection techniques, LHAASO surveys the entire northern gamma-ray and cosmic-ray sky with a wide energy range...
Radar based exploration of subglacial structures Ice-penetrating radar is one of the most important techniques in glaciological research. Applications can range from gaining insights about the internal structure of glaciers and ice sheets, to calculating ice volume, to the detection of hidden features such as crevasses. Recent advances in electronics...