Overview
UTA Cryogenic Lab setup
The group of students and postdocs working with me at UTA formed in 2015 (when I started as a professor at UTA). Since that time we have built up a lab in the Chemistry and Physics Building on the UTA campus dedicated to Liquid Argon Time Projection Chamber (LArTPC) detector R&D. The lab includes a purification system for liquid argon, a number of cryostats varying between small 40 liter vessel to our large 540 liter vessel, a dedicated light detection R&D stand, and a number of electronics test stands for development and testing of dedicated cold electronics used in LArTPCs.
In addition to work in the lab, we work on a number of the leading LArTPC experiments around the globe. Currently, I serve as the spokesperson of the Liquid Argon in a Testbeam (LArIAT) experiment and most of my students have either had the opportunity to touch this detector and/or analyze the data recorded during its many different data taking campaigns. This includes most recently a dedicated running of the LArIAT setup testing a pixel based charge readout system developed in collaboration with the University of Bern and deployed in a charged particle testbeam at Fermilab. This experiment (known as PixLAr) has helped launch new effort in replacing the traditional wire based charge readout for LArTPC’s with dedicated pixel readout. This work is being lead by professors and students and UTA, University of Bern, Lawrence Berkeley National Labs, and many others as an option for a new LArTPC known as ArgonCube.
(Left) LArIAT Collaboration (Right) The LArIAT experimental setup
An example of a MicroBooNE data event recorded in October of 2015
Members of my group also have the opportunity to work on dedicated LArTPC neutrino experiments such as the Micro-Booster Neutrino Experiment (MicroBooNE) which is attempting to untangle an intriguing result first seen by the Mini-Booster Neutrino Experiment (MiniBooNE) which may point the existence of more then 3 types of neutrinos in the universe. While this interpretation is not without controversy, the MicroBooNE experiment hopes to make a conclusive statement as to the nature of the signal seen by MiniBooNE and determine if this is in fact a signal generated by electron neutrinos or a signal coming from photons. The conclusive analysis of whether or not the MiniBooNE signal is due to a new type of particle requires the implementation of two other LArTPCs in the same neutrino beamline. These experiments are known as the Short-Baseline Near Detector (SBND) and the ICARUS experiment. People working in my group are contributing to the construction and commissioning of these two experiments at Fermilab which intend to take data together starting in 2020 to either confirm or rule out the ``sterile neutrino’’ hypothesis.
Finally, the long term plans of the group are focused on the U.S. flagship particle experiment known as the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE). This experiment will attempt to measure the parameters of neutrino oscillation to determine if there is charge-parity violation in the lepton sector and determine the ordering of the neutrino mass states. The DUNE project will construct the largest LArTPC detector ever and deploy it in a mine in South Dakota. The most intense beam of neutrinos ever created will be sent from Fermilab to South Dakota and will allow for the measurement of these fundamental properties. The UTA group is positioning itself to be a leader in both the detector technology and the data analysis techniques to lead these efforts in the coming decade.
The research group (depending on when and who is working in it) consists of 2-3 graduate students, 2-5 undergraduates, and a postdoctoral researcher. Details about the people currently involved as well as alumni of the group can be found below.
People
Associate Professor
Jonathan Asaadi
Associate professor and researcher at the UTA group
Education
Ph.D. Physics: Texas A&M 2012
M.S. Physics: Texas A&M 2007
B.S. Physics University of Iowa 2004
Awards
Department of Energy Early Career Research Award
Fermilab Neutrino Physics Fellowship (2018)
University of Bern Albert Einstein Center Visiting Fellow (2014)
Major Funding Awards
DOE Nuclear Physics Comparative Review
Award Number: DE-SC0019223
DOE Nuclear Physics Research Traineeship
Award Number: DE-0000260336
DOE Early Career Research Award
Award Number: DE-0000253485
DOE Comparative Review Funding (Detector R&D)
Award Number: DE-SC0020065
DOE Comparative Review Funding (Intensity Frontier Research)
Award Number: DE-SC001168
DOE Comparative Review Funding (Detector R&D)
Award Number: DE-SC001168
postdoctoral Researchers / research scientists
Bio
Gabriela graduated in Medical Physics at São Paulo State University in 2012. During her undergraduate research, she worked with proton-induced spallation reactions applied to spacecraft radio-protection which motivated her to go deeper into elementary particle interaction studies. She was introduced to neutrino physics during her Master and Ph.D. programs at University of Campinas, in which she graduated in 2015 and 2021, respectively. From atmospheric to accelerator neutrinos, she developed phenomenological analysis involving mainly sterile neutrino models, such as Large Extra Dimensions and Heavy Neutrino Decay. When joining the Short-Baseline Near Detector Collaboration in 2019, Gabriela experienced the work as an experimental physicist and got very interested about how a neutrino detector operates. Currently, she works in the commissioning and integration tests of the SBND Trigger System in the hope SBND finds signatures of physics Beyond Standard Model in the near future.
Gabriela Vitti Stenico
Graduate Students (Current)
Bio
Olivia is a graduate student who loves working on novel detection ideas. Her research focuses on developing a pixel-based readout plane called QPix for the DUNE far detector, which is poised to redefine the boundaries of particle physics. She has previously worked on a NASA Ames/CU Boulder project called DAPPER, and received a CERN REU internship as an undergrad. She is passionate about pushing the cutting edge of physics further, and hopes to contribute to humanities understanding of fundamental laws of nature.
Projects
Q-Pix
Advanced cryo-CMOS devices for future detectors
Olivia Seidel
Bio
I am an international graduate student from Turkey at UTA from where I also got my BS and MS in Physics. I really enjoy applied physics. My particular interests are designing, building, and simulating particle detectors and its necessary widgets such as digital and analog electronics , software development etc.
Projects
Camera Readout and Barium Tagging (CRAB) prototype detector
Ilker Parmaksiz
Bio
Michael is a dedicated physicist with a passion for experimentation and an unwavering commitment to progress. Michael is currently pursuing his PhD research at ORNL focusing on advancing the field of neutrino physics, with a particular interest in enhancing liquid noble detectors. To this end, he is currently developing a cutting-edge sensor that has the unique capability of simultaneously detecting charge and direct VUV light. This innovative technology will be an invaluable asset for use in pixelated liquid noble detectors, enabling researchers to more accurately and efficiently study the elusive neutrino.
projects
TPB vs PEN Studies
Amorphous Selenium photosensor prototyping
Development of a multimodal pixel sensor for Noble Element TPC’s
Michael Rooks
Bio
Iakovos (Jacob) is an international graduate student at UTA from Greece. I did my undergraduate career at Texas Christian University where I got my BS in Physics. I have always been extremely interested in High Energy Physics and its applications in combination with Solid State Physics. As an undergraduate did research in Solid State and I am currently working on developing novel detector with multimodal purposes for Liquid Argon Time Projection Chambers.
projects
ZnO single crystal devices
Novel Photon Detectors
Neutrino Interactions
Iakovos Tzoka
Bio
Maddie completed her undergraduate degree at Texas Christian University with a BS in Astrophysics. Her research has consisted of computational models of early universal structures and black hole population models. Currently she is currently working with particle detectors and focuses on dark matter detection. In addition she is interning with Lockheed Martin Space to integrate system for Orion’s passenger spacecraft and continue the Artemis lunar sustainability mission. Maddie is passionate about unlocking the map of our universe and furthering the understanding of what holds our world together.
Projects
Cosmic Ray Muon Detector
Madison Braley
Undergraduate researcher
John Hunt
projects
Liquid Argon Purity Filters
Operational Amplifiers for purity monitor
Physics b.s.
class of 2026
projects
Circuit Design and Testing
Commercial Off The Shelf prototype of Q-Pix
Alfredo Barajas Enriquez
Physics b.s.Class of 2024
Youstina Abraham
PROJECTS
Analog to Digital Conversion Chip Development
Q-Pix Chip Testing and Development
Biology B.S.
Class of 2019
(continuing as RA)
projects
Alumni
Shailesh Giri: B.S. Physics (May 2023):
Graduate Student at University of North CarolinaDr Austin McDonald: Postdoc (August 2020 - March 2023)
Founder and CEO of Instrumentation Frontier ScientificZack Williams: Ph.D. Thesis (May 2022):
MicroBooNE: Charged Current Coherent Pion Cross-sectionJordan Baker: B.S. Electrical Engineering (May 2021)
Test Technician at Abbott Hospital & Health CareAkshat Tripathi: B.S. Physics (May 2020):
Graduate Student at University of Illinois Urbana-ChampaignHunter Sullivan: M.S. Non-Thesis (December 2019):
Engineer at RaytheonNhan Pham: B.S Electrical Engineering (May 2019):
Engineer at Lockheed MartinDalton Sessumes: M.S. Thesis (December 2018):
Measurement of Multiple Coulomb Scattering in the LArIAT Experiment