IKP-2 Neutrino Group

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Prof. Dr. Dr. Livia Ludhova

Prof. Dr. Dr. Livia Ludhova Focus of Research: Livia Ludhova is specialized in low-energy neutrino physics with large-volume liquid-scintillator detectors. She is a member of the Borexino collaboration since 2005 and currently serves in a role of its physics co-coordinator. She joined the JUNO collaboration in 2014 and is a member of its recently established Analysis Coordination Committee. Livia Ludhova has a long-term experience with the measurement of solar neutrinos and geoneutrinos. Contact: Phone: +49 2461 61 4280 E-mail: l.ludhova_AT_fz-juelich.de Personal Travel and Photography Web: www.livialudhova.com

Education

• PhD in Experimental Physics (2005)
  Département de Physique, Université de Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland;
  Thesis title: “The Muonic Hydrogen Lamb Shift Experiment: Lifetime and Population of the μp(2S) State”
• M.A. in Physics (2001)
  Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia;
  Thesis title: “Production and study of exotic atoms at DAΦNE”
• PhD in Geology (1998)
  Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia;
  Thesis title: “Reconstruction of Variscan P-T-t (pressure-temperature-time) path of metapelites in the crystalline complex of Western and High Tatra Mts., Western Carpathians, Slovakia”
• M.A. in Geology (1996)
  Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia;
  Thesis title: “Metamorphic evolution of sillimanite-zone metapelites in the crystalline complex of Tatra Mts., Western Carpathians, Slovakia”

Positions

• since November 2015
  W2 Professor at Physics Institute IIIB, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, Germany.
  Head of the neutrino group at IKP-2, Forschungszentrum Jülich, Germany.
  Funded through the HGF recruitment initiative.
• October 2005 – October 2015
  Postdoc and researcher at Instituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN), Milano, Italy
• September 2001 – September 2005
  Doctorante Fonds National “B” e assistante diplome’, Dèpartement de Physique, Universitè de Fribourg, Fribourg, Switzerland.
• October 1996 – August 1999
  Ph.D. scholarship – Faculty of Natural Sciences, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia.

Awards

• Woman physicist of the week selected by the German Physical Society (DPG) in December 2021. DPG Website Twitter Facebook Instagram
  
• European Physical Society Prize: The 2021 Giuseppe and Vanna Cocconi Prize
  for an outstanding contribution to Particle Astrophysics and Cosmology was awarded to the Borexino Collaboration for the ground-breaking observation of solar netrinos frome the pp chain and CNO cycle that provided unique and comprehensive tests of the Sun as a nucleat fusion engine.
• Borexino experiment is listed in 2020 Top Ten of Physics World
  for observing neutrinos from the carbon–nitrogen–oxygen (CNO) cycle in the Sun.
• November 2015
  Recruitment initiative of the Helmholtz Association.
• Borexino experiment is listed in 2014 Top Ten of Physics World
  for spotting neutrinos from Sun's main nuclear reaction.

Funding

• April 2023 - March 2027
  DFG (German Physical Society) Research Group "Precision neutrino physics with JUNO".
• October 2018 - March 2022
  DFG (German Physical Society) Research Group "Determination of the Neutrino Mass Hierarchy with the JUNO experiment".
• since November 2015
  Recruitment initiative of the Helmholtz Association.

Teaching

Courses at RWTH Aachen

Current Responsibilities and Organisational Positions

Experiments

• Physics (co-)coordinator of the Borexino experiment
• Member of the Analysis Coordination Committee of the JUNO experiment
• Member of the Steering Committee of the Borexino experiment
• Member of the Institutional Board of the Borexino experiment
• Member of the Institutional Board of the JUNO experiment

Conferences committees

• Member of the International Advisory Committee of "Physics In Collision" (PIC) conferences
• Member of the International Advisory Committee of "Symmetries in Subatomic Physics" (SSP 2022) conference
• Member of the International Advisory Committee of "Neutrino Geoscience" conference series
• Member of the Local Organizing Committee of the 7th "Symposium on Symmetries in Subatomic Physics" (SSP 2018), RWTH Aachen University, Germany, June 11-15th, 2018.
• Convener of the “Neutrino Physics” parallel session at EPS Conference on High Energy Physics 2017, 5 -12 July 2017, Venice, Italy

Other committees

• Member of the International Advisory Panel (IAP) for The European Spallation Source neutrino Super Beam plus (ESSnuSB+)

Summer Schools

• [2018 September] Hadron Physics Summer School 2018, Scientific and Organizing Committee, Jülich, Germany.
• [2018 July] Using Particle Physics to Understand and Image the Earth 2018 Scientific and Organizing Committee, Ferrara, Italy.
• [2016 July] Using Particle Physics to Understand and Image the Earth 2016, Scientific and Organizing Committee, Gran Sasso Science Institute, Italy. Read about it in the Symmetry Magazine.

Publications in peer reviewed journals (h-index, ORCID)

Summary and review articles:

• S. Kumaran, L. Ludhova, Ö. Penek, and G. Settanta Borexino Results on Neutrinos from the Sun and Earth , Universe 07 (2021) 231, Special Issue Italian Research Facilities for Fundamental Physics.
• S. Kumaran and L. Ludhova, A New Journey to the Center of the Earth, Nucl. Phys. News 04 (2020) 17-21.
• S. Böser et al., Status of light sterile neutrino searches, Prog. Part. Nucl. Phys. 111 (2020) 103736.
• L. Ludhova, Experimental data on solar neutrinos, Eur. Phys. J. A 52 (2016) 82.
• G. Bellini, L. Ludhova, G. Ranucci, and F.L. Villante, Neutrino Oscillations, Hindawi Publishing Corporation, Adv. High En. Phys., 2014 (2014) 191960, 28 pages.
• L. Ludhova and S. Zavatarelli, Studying the Earth with Geo-neutrinos, Hindawi Publishing Corporation, Adv. High Ene. Physi., 2013 (2013) 425693, 16 pages.
• G. Bellini, A. Ianni, L. Ludhova, F. Mantovani, and W.F. McDonough, Geo-neutrinos, Progr. Part. Nucl. Phys. 73 (2013) 1–34.

Borexino:

• S. Appel et al., Improved measurement of solar neutrinos from the Carbon-Nitrogen-Oxygen cycle by Borexino and its implications for the Standard Solar Model, Phys. Rev. Lett. 129 (2022) 252701. Selected as editors suggestion.
• M. Agostini et al., Independent determination of the Earth's orbital parameters with solar neutrinos in Borexino, Astrop. Phys. 145 (2023) 102778.
• M. Agostini et al., First Directional Measurement of sub-MeV Solar Neutrinos with Borexino, Phys. Rev. Lett. 128 (2022) 091803.
• M. Agostini et al., Correlated and Integrated Directionality for sub-MeV solar neutrinos in Borexino, Phys. Rev. D 105 (2022) 052002.
• M. Agostini et al., Search for Low-Energy Signals from Fast Radio Bursts with the Borexino Detector, arXiv:2111.14500 (2021), and submitted to European Physical Journal C.
• M. Agostini et al., Identification of the cosmogenic 11C background in large volumes of liquid scintillators with Borexino, Eur. Phys. Journal C 81 (2021) 1075.
• M. Agostini et al., Search for low-energy neutrinos from astrophysical sources with Borexino, Astrop. Phys. 125 (2021) 102509.
• M. Agostini et al., Experimental evidence of neutrinos produced in the CNO fusion cycle in the Sun, Nature 587 (2020) 577.
• M. Agostini et al., Sensitivity to neutrinos from the solar CNO cycle in Borexino, Eur. Phys. Jour. C 80 (2020) 1091.
• M. Agostini et al., Improved measurement of 8B solar neutrinos with 1.5 kt*y of Borexino exposure, Phys. Rev. D 101 (2020) 062002.
• M. Agostini et al., Comprehensive geoneutrino analysis with Borexino, Phys. Rev. D 101 (2020) 012009.
• M. Agostini et al., Constraints on Flavor-Diagonal Non-Standard Neutrino Interactions from Borexino Phase-II, JHEP 2 (2020) 038.
• M. Agostini et al., Simultaneous precision spectroscopy of pp, 7Be, and pep solar neutrinos with Borexino Phase-II, Phys. Rev. D 100 (2019) 082004.
• M. Agostini et al., Modulations of the cosmic muon signal in ten years of Borexino data, J. Cosm. Astrop. Phys. 02 (2019) 046.
• M. Agostini et al., Comprehensive measurement of pp-chain solar neutrinos, Nature 562 (2018) 496.
• M. Agostini et al., The Monte Carlo simulation of the Borexino detector, Astrop. Phys. 97 (2018) 136.
• M. Agostini et al., Limiting neutrino magnetic moments with Borexino Phase-II solar neutrino data, Phys. Rev. D - Rapid Comm. 96 (2017) 091103.
• M. Agostini et al., A search for low-energy neutrinos correlated with gravitational wave events GW150914, GW151226 and GW170104 with the Borexino detector, Astrophys. J. 850 (2017) 21.
• M. Agostini et al., Seasonal Modulation of the 7Be Solar Neutrino Rate in Borexino, Astropart. Phys. 92 (2017) 21.
• M. Agostini et al., Borexino's search for low-energy neutrino and antineutrino signals correlated with gamma-ray bursts, Astrop. Phys. 86 (2017) 11.
• M. Agostini et al., A test of electric charge conservation with Borexino, Phys. Rev. Lett. 115 (2015) 231802.
• M. Agostini et al., Spectroscopy of geoneutrinos from 2056 days of Borexino data, Phys. Rev. D 92 (2015) 031101.
• G. Bellini et al., Final results of Borexino Phase-I on low energy solar neutrino spectroscopy, Phys. Rev. D 89 (2014) 112007.
• G. Bellini et al., Neutrinos from the primary proton–proton fusion process in the Sun, Nature 512 (2014) 383.
• G. Bellini et al., Measurement of geo-neutrinos from 1353 days of Borexino, Phys. Lett. B 722 (2013) 295.
• G. Bellini et al., SOX: Short distance neutrino Oscillations with BoreXino, JHEP 1308 (2013) 038.
• G. Bellini et al., First evidence of pep solar neutrinos by direct detection in Borexino, Phys. Rev. Lett. 108 (2012) 051302.
• G. Bellini et al., Absence of a day-night asymmetry in the 7Be solar neutrino rate in Borexino, Phys. Lett. B 707 (2012) 22.
• G. Bellini at al., Study of solar and other unknown anti-neutrino fluxes with Borexino at LNGS, Phys. Lett. B 696 (2011) 191.
• G. Bellini et al., Precision measurement of the 0.862 MeV 7Be solar neutrino interaction rate in Borexino, Phys. Rev. Lett. 107 (2011) 14130.
• G. Bellini et al., Observation of Geo-Neutrinos, Phys. Lett. B 687 (2010) 299.
• G. Bellini et al., Measurement of the solar 8B neutrino rate with a liquid scintillator target and 3 MeV energy threshold in the Borexino detector, Phys. Rev. D 82 (2010) 033006.
• C. Arpesella et al., First real time detection of 7Be solar neutrinos by Borexino, Phys. Lett. B 658 (2008) 101.
• C. Arpesella et al., Direct measurement of the 7Be solar neutrino flux with 192 days of Borexino data, Phys. Rev. Lett. 101 (2008) 091302.

JUNO:

• A. Abusleme et al., Sub-percent Precision Measurement of Neutrino Oscillation Parameters with JUNO, Chin. Phys. C 46 (2022) 123001.
• A. Abusleme et al., Prospects for Detecting the Diffuse Supernova Neutrino Background with JUNO, J. Cosm. Astrop. Phys. 10 (2022) 033.
• J. Wang et al., Damping signatures at JUNO, a medium-baseline reactor neutrino oscillation experiment, J. High En. Phys. 62 (2022) 82.
• A. Abusleme et al., JUNO physics and detector, Progr. Part. Nucl. Ph. 123 (2022) 103927.
• L. Bieger et al., Potential for a precision measurement of solar pp neutrinos in the Serappis Experiment, arXiv:2109.10782 (2021), and submitted to Eur. Phys. J. C.
• A. Abusleme et al., Radioactivity control strategy for the JUNO detector, J. High En. Phys. 102 (2021) 381.
• A. Abusleme et al., JUNO sensitivity to low energy atmospheric neutrino spectra, Eur. Phys. J. C 81 (2021) 887.
• A. Abusleme et al., Calibration strategy of the JUNO experiment, J. High En. Phys. 3 (2021) 4.
• A. Abusleme et al., The Design and Sensitivity of JUNO's scintillator radiopurity pre-detector OSIRIS, arXiv:2103.16900 and submitted to European Physical Journal C.
• A. Abusleme et al., TAO Conceptual Design Report: A Precision Measurement of the Reactor Antineutrino Spectrum with Sub-percent Energy Resolution, arXiv:2005.08745.
• A. Abusleme et al., Feasibility and physics potential of detecting 8B solar neutrinos at JUNO, Chin. Phys. C 45 (2021) 1.
• A. Abusleme et al., Optimization of the JUNO liquid scintillator composition using a Daya Bay antineutrino detector, Nucl. Instr. Meth. A, 988 (2021) 164823.
• P. Kampmann, Y. Chenga, and L. Ludhova, A semi-analytical energy response model for low-energy events in JUNO, JINST 15 (2020) P10007.
• H. Rebber, L. Ludhova, B. Wonsak, and Y. Xu, Particle Identification at MeV Energies in JUNO, JINST 16 (2020) P01016.
• M.G. Aarsten et al., Combined sensitivity to the neutrino mass ordering with JUNO, the IceCube Upgrade, and PINGU, Phys. Rev. D 101 (2020) 032006.
• C. Genster, M. Schever, L. Ludhova, M. Soiron, A. Stahl, and C. Wiebusch, Muon reconstruction with a geometrical model in JUNO, JINST 13 (2018) T03003.
• F. An et al.: Neutrino physics with JUNO, J. Phys. G: Nucl. Part. Phys. 43 (2016) 030401.

Exotic Atoms

• R. Pohl et al., Laser spectroscopy of muonic deuterium, Science 353 (2016) 6300.
• R. Pohl et al., The size of the proton, Nature 466 (2010) 213.
• L. Ludhova et al., Muonic hydrogen cascade time and lifetime of the shortlived 2S state, Phys. Rev. A 75 (2007) 040501(R).
• G. Beer et al., Measurement of the Kaonic Hydrogen X–Ray Spectrum, Phys. Rev. Lett. 94 (2005) 212302.

THEIA

• M. Askins et al., Theia: Summary of physics program. Snowmass White Paper Submission, arXiv 2202.12839 (2022).
• M. Askins et al., An advanced optical neutrino detector, Eur. Phys. J. C 80 (2020) 416.

LENA

• M. Wurm et al., The next-generation liquid-scintillator neutrino observatory (LENA), Astrop. Phys. 35 (2012) 685.

Geology

• M. Nemcok at al., Tertiary development of the Polish and eastern Slovak parts of the Carpathian accretionary wedge: insights from balanced cross-sections, Geol. Carp. 57/5 (2006) 355.
• V. Hurai et al., Nitrogen-bearing fluids, brines and carbonate liquids in Variscan migmatites of the Tatra Mountains, Western Carpathians - heritage of high-pressure metamorphism, Europ. J. Mineral. 12 (2000) 1283.
• M. Nemcok at al, Results of 2D balanicng along 20° and 21° 30’ longitude and pseudo-3D in the Smilno tectonic window: implications for shortening mechanisms of the West Carpathian accretionary wedge, Geol. Carp. 51/5 (2000) 281.
• L. Ludhova and M. Janak, Phase relations and P-T path of cordierite-bearing migmatites, Western Tatra Mountains, Western Carpathians, Geol. Carp. 50 (1999) 283.
• M. Janak et al., Dehydration melting and devolatilzation during exhumation of high-grade metapelites: the Tatra Mountains, Western Carpathians, J. Metam. Geol. 17,4 (1999) 379.
• M. Janak et al., Partial melting and retrogression during exhumation of high-grade metapelites, the Tatra Mountains, Western Carpathians, Phys. Chem. Earth - Part A. Solid Earth and Geodesy 17 (1999) 379.

Conference talks since 2017

• International Cosmic Ray Conference (ICRC )2023 - July 26-August 3, 2023 - Nagoya, Japan
  Solar neutrinos from the CNO fusion cycle: Borexino discovery and implications for the solar physics
• Multi-Messenger Tomography of Earth (MMTE) Workshop - July 3-7, 2023 - Paris, France
  Overview of experimental results on geoneutrinos
• Arbeitstreffen Kernphysik 2023 - March 2, 2023 - Schleching, Germany
• Arbeitstreffen Kernphysik 2023 - March 2, 2023 - Schleching, Germany
  Neutrino physics with liquid scintillator detectors: the case of Borexino and JUNO (covered the role of Libero)
• Passion for Earth - A new era for geoscience - October 27, 2022 - Milano, Italy
  Geoneutrinos from Borexino (invited talk)
• 23rd International Workshop on Neutrinos from Accelerators (NuFACT 2022) - July 31-August 6, 2022 - Salt Lake City, USA
  JUNO - the first multi-kton liquid scintillator neutrino observatory (invited pleanary talk)
• DPG-Frühjahrstagung - Spring Meeting of the German Physical Society, the Matter and Cosmos Section (SMuK) - March 21-25, 2022 - Heidelberg, Germany (online event)
  Borexino looks in the direction of solar neutrinos (Hauptvortrag - invited pleanary talk)
• TAUP 2021 - 17th International Conference on Topics in Astroparticle and Underground Physics - August 30 - September 3, 2021 - Valencia, Spain (online event)
  Solar and geo neutrinos (invited plenary review talk)
• 7th Komitee für Astroteilchen (KAT) Strategy meeting - December 4-5, 2020 - online event
  Borexino: Experimental evidence of neutrinos produced in the CNO fusion cycle in the Sun
(invited talk)
• TAUP 2019 - 16th International Conference on Topics in Astroparticle and Underground Physics - September 9-13, 2019 - Toyama, Japan
  Updated geoneutrino measurement with Borexino (parallel talk)
• Workshop on observatory synergies for astroparticle physics and geoscience - February 11-12, 2019 - Paris, France
  Neutrino tomography I. Geoneutrinos: a new tool to study the Earth (invited review talk)
• DISCRETE 2018 - Symposium on Prospects in the Physics of Discrete Symmetries - November 26, 2018 - Wien, Austria
  Overview on solar, geo, and reactor neutrino experiments (invited review talk)
• NNN 2018 - International Workshop on Next Generation Nucleon Decay and Neutrino Detectors - October 31 - November 4, 2018 - Vancouver, Canada
  Systematic errors in Borexino solar and geoneutrino measurements
• History of the Neutrino - September 5-7, 2018, Paris, France
  Geoneutrinos (invited review talk)
• NuPhys2017 - Prospects in Neutrino Physics - December 20-22, 2017 - London, United Kingdom
  Solar neutrinos: recent results and future prospects (invited review talk)
• 18th Lomonosov Conference on Elementary Particle Physics - August 24-28, 2017 - Moscow, Russia
  Low energy neutrino physics with liquid scintillator detectors (invited review talk)
• TAUP 2017 - 15th International Conference on Topics in Astroparticle and Underground Physics - July 24-28, 2017 - Sudbury, Canada
  Limiting the effective magnetic moment of solar neutrinos with the Borexino detector (parallel talk)

Colloquia and seminars since 2017

• Seminar at the Center for Underground Physics at Institute of Basic Science (IBS) - August 9, 2023 - Daejeon, Korea
  Solar neutrinos from the CNO fusion cycle: Borexino discovery and implications for the solar physics
• Astroparticle seminar at DESY - December 2, 2022 - Zeuthen, Germany
  Solar neutrinos from the Carbon-Nitrogen-Oxygen fusion cycle: Borexino discovery and implications for the Standard Solar Model
• IOPB Online Colloquium - November 22, 2022 - Institute of Physics, Bhubaneswar, Odisha, India (online)
  Geoneutrinos - a new tool to study the Earth
• Colloqium at Université de Paris and Institut Universitaire de France, Laboratoire Astroparticule et Cosmologie - October 20, 2022 - Paris, France
  Geoneutrinos (YouTube Link)
• Seminar at King's College EPAP (Experimental Particle and Astroparticle Physics) group - June 13, 2022 - King's College, London, United Kingdom (online event)
  JUNO: the first multi-kton liquid scintillator based neutrino detector
• ILL (Institute Max von Laue - Paul Langveln) College III Webinar - February 11, 2022 - ILL, Grenoble, France (online event)
  Updated geoneutrino measurement with Borexino
• Colloquium at Physics Department, University of Houston - February 23, 2021 - Houston, United States
  Latest solar- and geo-neutrino results from the Borexino experiment
• Seminar at McDonald Institute, Queen's University - February 16, 2021 - Kingston, Canada
  The new journey to the center of the Earth: goeneutrino measurement with Borexino
• INPA Seminar, Berkley National Laboratory - October 30, 2020 - Institute for Nuclear and Particle Astrophysics (INPA), Berkeley National Laboratory, USA
  JUNO - the first multi-kton liquid scintillator detector
• Università degli Studi di Ferrara - December 12, 2019 - Ferrara, Italy
  Solar neutrino spectroscopy with Borexino
• DFG Research Unit JUNO Meeting - October 10, 2019 - Garching, Germany
  Geoneutrinos
• Seminar at GSI - April 30, 2019 - Gesellschaft für Schwerionenforschung (GSI), Darmstadt, Germany
  Observation of Neutrinos from the Sun and the Earth in Borexino
• Colloqium at Shanghai Jiao-Tong University - January 25, 2019 - Shanghai Jiao-Tong University (SJTU), Shanghai, China
  Low-energy neutrino physics with Borexino
• Seminar at IIHE ULB-VUB - December 14, 2018 - Inter-University Institute for High Energies (IIHE), Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB)- Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), Brussels, Belgium
  Low-energy neutrino physics with Borexino and JUNO
• Seminar at INFN Bari - October 26, 2017 - Istituto Nazionale di Fisica Nucleare (INFN), Bari, Italy
  Observation of Neutrinos from the Sun and the Earth in Borexino
• Seminar at the Erlangen Centre for Astroparticle Physics - June 28th, 2017 - Erlangen Centre for Astroparticle Physics, Erlangen, Germany
  JUNO

Outreach

• June 2022: Interview by Ken Croswell in Science News about the first estimation of the carbon and nitrogen content in the Sun using the improved CNO solar neutrino measurement by Borexino.
• January 2022: Interview by the Slovak newspaper SME Zeny about Slovak Women.
• December 2021: Representation of the Slovak Republic at EXPO 2021 in Dubai during the week "Knowledge and Learning". Article in the internal journal of the Comenius University.
• July 2020: Neutrino-Physikerin mit einem Faible für Berge, interview with Weltmaschine.de
• February 2020: Neutrinos geben Auskunf über den energiefluss aus dem Erdinneren, interview with Frankfurter Allgemeiner Zeitung about the latest Borexino geoneutrino measurement
• October 24th, 2019: "Night pyramid", interview with RTVS Radio Slovakia
• January 2019: "Sonnenteleskop", interview in "Effzett", journal of FzJ
• August 2017: Interviews of the 18th Lomonosov Conference participants Interview starting at 1:38:29
  
• October 2016: Interviewed by Leah Crane for the Symmetry magazine, A joint Fermilab/SLAC publication: Recruiting team geoneutrino.
• June 5th, 2014: protagonist of the TV program Nautilus Scienza (RAI Educational) about the dark matter in the Italian TV RAI.