DOE/INFN Summer Exchange Program for 2011

10th Edition

INFN PADOVA SITE

 

The US Department of Energy (DoE) and the National Institute for Nuclear Physics - Italy (INFN) announce the 2011 edition of the Summer Exchange Program, dedicated to the exchange of US and Italian students in science and engineering.

Students are offered the possibility to work on projects which will further their experience in the areas of science and technology that are relevant for their academic training.

Padova was one of the three initial research centers that formed INFN when the latter was founded in 1951 and itis now one of the largest among the Italian INFN sites.

Research activities in Padova are pursued in all major INFN areas of interest: Particle Physics, Astroparticle Physics, Nuclear Physics, Theoretical Physics and Detector Physics.
Several groups are participating in experimental programs in collaboration with US institutions.

Candidates must be enrolled as students at a US university and they must have begun, at the time of application, at least the third year of a US University curriculum in physics, engineering or computing science.

They can join a team in Padova or Trento for approximately 2 months between June 1st and October 31st, 2011 .

Opportunities include participation in physics analysis activities of running experiments as well as involvement in detector developments.

The 4 available positions in Padova are the following:

1 position: SuperB experiment

Geant4 simulation studies of the SuperB Muon Detector and comparison with the cosmic ray measurements performed on a prototype.
The Muon Detector is based on the Iron Flux Return instrumented with extruded scintillators, WLS fibers and SiPM Photon devices.

Contact: Dr. Mario Posocco (mario.posocco@pd.infn.it)

Recommended period: June-July or July-September

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1 position: Modern approaches to software development management for the SuperB international collaboration

SuperB is a project aiming at the construction of a very high luminosity asymmetric e+e- flavour factory.
The physics studies possible at such a machine will provide a uniquely important source of information about the details of the new physics uncovered at the LHC in the coming decade.
The student will take part in the R&D program aimed at evaluating and selecting the set of tools that the SuperB collaboration will adopt for managing the development of the software for the analysis of the experimental data.

Tutor: Dr. Roberto Stroili (roberto.stroili@pd.infn.it)

Recommended period: June-July, July-September, September October

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1 position: SuperB Experiment

Multy/many core and GPU's will probably be the evolution of the computing paradigm in HEP. The SuperB FastSim code is a typical HEP application that can be used to study its application. The code has to be profiled and factorized, we want to measure the effect of specializing parts of the code to exploit the new CPU architectures
(multi and many core) and GPU.

Tutor: Dr. Roberto Stroili (roberto.stroili@pd.infn.it)

Recommended period: June-July, July-September, September October

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1 position: SOIPD experiment

Title: Characterization of monolithic pixel detectors fabricated in an innovative technology.

Abstract: We are developing, in collaboration with University of California at Santa Cruz, University of California at Berkeley and LBNL, innovative pixelated photon detectors in a Silicon On Insulator (SOI) technology. Such a detector will be sensitive both to charged particles and to photons, in the interval from the visible to X rays. SOI technology, which allows the integration of both the electronics and the sensor on the same Silicon wafer, appears to be very promising, despite some problems of backgating and radiation tolerance, which are currently under study. The last chip produced, a matrix of 256?256 analog pixels, was widely characterized and the obtained results were used to set the design guidelines for the following submission. This new chip, scheduled to arrive in late Spring 2010, will feature 8 different pixel layouts. The undergraduate student will study the new detector, in order to understand which, among the different layouts, is the most performing and will hopefully be a good candidate to overcome the technology limitations.

Tutor: Dr. Serena Mattiazzo (serena.mattiazzo@pd.infn.it)

Preferred period: From June to October.

 

The available position in Trento (DISI TRENTO) is the following:

1 position:
Experimental characterization (electrical, electro-optical, and with radioactive sources) of silicon radiation detectors with three-dimensional electrodes (3D) for the ATLAS upgrade.

(Contact: Prof. Gian-Franco Dalla Betta)

 

To apply, please fill the application form explaining your interests in physics, or computer science along with a curriculum vitae with your educational and work experience. The deadline for applications is April 26th, 2011.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

INFORMATION ABOUT DIT TRENTO: please click here

LOCAL EXCHANGE PROGRAM SECRETARIAT:

Padova:
Cristina Miletti (+39 049-967 7080) for SOIPD experiment

Sandra Calore (+39 049-967 7097) for SuperB experiment

Trento:
Manuel Zucchellini (+39 0461-883936)