Crossing boundaries: experimental high energy physics, extreme states of matter, advanced radiation detection technologies, transdisciplinary research and applications (PRA 8)

Modern theoretical and experimental research in the field of physics is one of the most difficult and advanced scientific challenges that humanity faces. The experiments are carried out at the best scientific centres in the world, for example, CERN in Geneva, BNL in the United States of America, and GSI in Darmstadt, and with the participation of international research teams. The aim of the research is to find answers to the most fundamental questions pertaining to matter – its structure and relations; to understand the mechanism of creation and evolution of matter and antimatter (currently, we are only able to see matter in the universe); to study the behaviour of matter in extreme conditions – for example, in the first microseconds of the expanding universe and inside neutron stars. The measuring equipment and methods used constitute a current boundary of technological development with respect to the measurements in the microworld, the most efficient automatics and electronics systems, and extremely large quantities of data transfer together with complex systems used to process it, usually in real time.

Researchers from a multitude of disciplines are involved in work related to the aforementioned research. The disciplines are: physics, information technology and telecommunications, electronics, astrophysics, biophysics, materials science. Research teams build precise detectors based on state-of-the-art radiation particle detection and identification technologies. Every second, millions of occurrences are being recorded and described with a multitude of measurement data. Scientists develop unique electronic and IT systems. As a result, novel solutions are implemented on a massive scale, which are related to signal detection, processing, and transferring large quantities of data, as well as new analysis techniques and machine data treatment. Experiences in the development of novel measuring techniques find application in biophysics, materials science, biomedical engineering, and distributed computing of data.

The research results will encompass not only a better understanding of the microscopic structure of matter and its relations but, above all, a dynamic development of semiconductor detectors, efficient and fast electronic systems, extra-efficient IT systems and methods to collect, transfer, record, and analyse gigantic quantities of data.