Ujwal Konissery Santhosh M.Sc.
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Ujwal Konissery Santhosh M.Sc.
Contact:
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Education
- 2021-2023, M.Sc. Physics
Central University of South Bihar, India
Thesis: Determination of Radionuclides in Soil using HPGe - 2018-2021, B.Sc. Physics
Madras Christian College, India
Research Activity
JUNO (present)
The Jiangmen Underground Neutrino Observatory (JUNO) is a 20 kton liquid scintillator experiment placed 700 m underground. It is approaching its later stage of construction and we can expect groundbreaking discoveries in the field of neutrino physics. JUNO's biggest merit lies in its excellent energy resolution and large fiducial volume. These unique capabilities will allow for precise measurement of neutrino oscillation parameters and neutrino mass ordering within just 6 years of data.
My work will focus on solar neutrinos which are detected via their scattering with electrons. However, neutrino events suffer from significant background effects. Therefore, my focus is on using innovative approaches to separate the neutrino events from the background by analyzing Cherenkov light.
Internship (November 2023 - December 2023)
During this short internship I did under the guidance of Dr Son Cao, IFIRSE, I was introduced the depth and nature of the research in neutrino physics. My work mainly involved studying the survival probability of muon neutrinos as a function of theta23 and deltacp for various experimental setups like NOvA, DUNE, ESSnuSB
MSc Thesis (January 2023 - May 2023)
The radionuclides present in the soil must have been created naturally or might be the result of human interventions. However, their presence beyond a limit poses a serious risk to the human health. Therefore, we proposed an experiment to measure the radioactivity levels in the soil samples using a High Purity Germanium detector (HPGe).
This methodology involves sample collection from Panchanpur, a village near the Central University of South Bihar. These samples were analysed using an HPGe detector maintained at 77K using liquid nitrogen.
We built a shielding consisting of lead blocks to reduce the background signals. Nevertheless, the
experiment involved active data collection of the background contamination to compare it with the
signals received from the samples. The data were collected from the HPGe using a PXI-based data acquisition system. The analysis of the data was carried out using ROOT framework. The resultant histograms revealed the available energy peaks in the samples.
The result of this study can
help to assess the presence of radioactive isotopes in the soil to develop a radioactive mapping of the locality. Periodic updation of this map will help to reveal the spatial distribution and trends of radioactivity in the environment, which is crucial for identifying potential sources of contamination and managing environmental risks. In conclusion, the use of a High Purity Germanium detector in measuring radioactivity levels in soil samples proves to be an effective and reliable method for assessing the presence of radioactive isotopes in the environment.
Events
Poster: "Determination of Radionuclides in Soil Samples using HPGe"
Demonstraction: Active detection of muons using cosmic ray telescope
National Seminar on the development of various materials towards the advancements in technologies
Workshop on the significance of research in neutrino physics
Schools