Cornelius Vollbrecht M.Sc.

Cornelius Vollbrecht M.Sc.
  • PhD student, joined September 2019
  • Thesis Title: Hardware development and data analysis for the JUNO and OSIRIS detectors

Contact:
  • Phone (Jülich): +49 2461 61 4735
  • Phone (Aachen): +49 241 80 27328
  • E-mail:

Work - The OSIRIS detector

I am working on both hardware and software topics around the OSIRIS detector, a subdetector of the JUNO experiment. The main goal of OSIRIS is to evaluate the radiopurity of the JUNO liquid scintillator during the months-long filling phase of JUNO. Furthermore, OSIRIS will be used to detect air leaks and malfunctions in the liquid scintillator purification process.

Between 09/2019 and 01/2020, I have supported the Aachen hardware group with the production of the intelligent PMT system. During that time, I worked on the following topics:
  • Development and construction of a cleaning facility for OSIRIS parts from Germany
  • Design and simulation of holding structures for the iPMT system
  • Potting / glueing support for the iPMT system
  • Support of the iPMT production in 2021
Since 01/2022, I have been focusing on the calibration of the OSIRIS detector and the analysis of its data. My tasks involve:
  • Development of OSIRIS calibration and device control software
  • Simulation and analysis of OSIRIS data
  • Preparations for the OSIRIS commissioning phase in autumn 2022
Between mid 09/2022 and end 12/2022, I was on-site at JUNO in China to actively take part in the commissioning of OSIRIS. My main focus during that time was the Automated Calibration Unit (ACU) of OSIRIS, where I worked on control software development and mechanical tasks around the commissioning of the ACU. I also worked on other topics, such as mechanical tests for device holding structures, dust level measurements or the construction of a small-scale cleaning facility for OSIRIS.

My stay in 2022 was supported by the DAAD (Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst), which approved a PhD research scholarship for the time in China. For more information, please have a look at Awards.

Between late August and mid of September 2023, I once more stayed at JUNO to actively take part in the commissioning of the ACU of OSIRIS. During the stay, I prepared the ACU in terms of both hardware and software for the upcoming calibration phases of OSIRIS. The scope of work included tasks dealing with setting up and configuring electronics, performing mechanical installations and checks thereof, as well as the development of hardware control software. Furthermore, the hardware of the ACU and its operational parameters were successfully calibrated in various measurement runs, each focusing on different aspects of the full system.

Outreach

  • Foschungszentum Jülich: Tag der Neugier 2022
    Neutrinos - Rätselhafte Geisterteilchen
  • RWTH Aachen: Tag der Physik 2021
    JUNO & OSIRIS (for both Aachen and Jülich workgroups)

Awards

    PhD research scholarship for stays abroad with 3.5 months duration, granted by Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD)

Selected events

  • The 22nd JUNO collaboration meeting (Jiangmen, China / virtual, 2023)
    Parallel talk: Status update on OSIRIS calibration systems
  • DPG Spring Meeting (Dresden, March 2023)
    Parallel talk: Calibration of the JUNO pre-detector OSIRIS
  • The 21st JUNO collaboration meeting (Jiangmen, China / virtual, 2023)
    Parallel talk: Mechanical integration of JUNO LPMTs into OSIRIS
  • German JUNO Research Unit meeting (Mainz, Germany, 2022)
    Talk: Status of the OSIRIS LPMT integration
  • The 20th JUNO collaboration meeting (Virtual, China, 2022)
    Parallel talk: Update on ACU calibration
  • Low Radioactivity Techniques Conference LRT 2022 (Rapid City, South Dakota, United States, 2022)
    Talk: OSIRIS: The Online Scintillator Internal Radioactivity Investigation System of JUNO
  • The International Conference on Neutrino Physics and Astrophysics (Virtual, Republic of Korea, 2022)
    Poster: OSIRIS: The Online Scintillator Internal Radioactivity Investigation System of JUNO
  • JUNO DFG meeting (Jülich, Germany, 2020)
    Parallel talk: OSIRIS calibration
  • DPG Spring Meeting (Virtual / Heidelberg, Germany, 2022)
    Parallel talk: Calibration of the JUNO pre-detector OSIRIS
  • The 19th JUNO collaboration meeting (Virtual, 2022)
    Parallel talk: OSIRIS cleaning report
  • JUNO European Meeting (Aachen, 2021)
    Parallel talk: Status update iPMT production & cleaning
  • European Physics Society Conference on High Energy Physics EPS-HEP (Virtual / Hamburg, Germany, 2021)
    Poster: OSIRIS – An online scintillator radiopurity monitor for the JUNO experiment
  • The 18th JUNO collaboration meeting (Virtual, China, 2021)
    Parallel talk: Cleaning for OSIRIS
  • JUNO European Meeting (Virtual, 2021)
    Parallel talk: Waveform reconstruction with the iPMT system of OSIRIS
  • DPG Spring Meeting (Virtual / Dortmund, Germany, 2021)
    Parallel talk: Cleaning for OSIRIS - Introduction to a cleaning facility on ultra pure water basis
  • The 17th JUNO collaboration meeting (Virtual, China, 2021)
    Parallel talk: Cleaning for OSIRIS - Status update on cleaning preparations in Aachen
  • JUNO DFG meeting (Jülich, Germany, 2020)
    Parallel talk: Cleaning for OSIRIS - Status update on cleaning preparations in Aachen
  • The 16th JUNO collaboration meeting (Virtual, China, 2020)
    Parallel talk: Cleaning of components in Aachen
  • The 15th JUNO collaboration meeting (Nanning, China, 2020)
    Parallel talk: Update iPMT-mechanics review

Selected Publications

Education

  • M.Sc. in Physics (RWTH Aachen University) -- Verifikation der akustischen Positionierung der Autonomen Pinger-Einheiten des EnEx-RANGE-Projektes in Gletschereis

  • B.Sc. in Physics (RWTH Aachen University) -- Zur Bestimmung der akustischen Dämpfung von Ultraschall in Wasser im Frequenzbereich 100 − 800 kHz für die Vorfelderkundung des EnEx-RANGE-Projektes