In the Open Competition Domain Science-M programme of the NWO (Dutch Research Council), 21 applications were honoured, of which Radboud researchers were the main applicants in three cases. ENW M grants range from 400,000 to 800,000 euros and are intended for innovative, fundamental research of high quality and/or scientific urgency.
Reconstructing 25% of the Universe with the Large Hadron Collider
Susanne Westhoff, Institute for Mathematics, Astrophysics and Particle Physics (IMAPP), Faculty of Science & dr. Flavia de Almeida Dias (University of Amsterdam)
The Large Hadron Collider is much more than a Higgs-particle discovery machine. It has recently evolved into a dark matter discovery machine, with upgraded data selection systems called ”triggers”. These triggers allow physicists to detect new particles that escape all previous experiments. We take this unique opportunity to search for dark matter candidates, which look like atoms and can leave peculiar traces in the detectors. If we observe such a dark matter atom, we will be close to unravelling the mystery behind all the invisible matter in the universe.
Are neutrinos Majorana?
Mengqing Wu, Institute for Mathematics, Astrophysics and Particle Physics (IMAPP), Faculty of Science
Unlike all other matter particles, the “ghost particle” neutrino, even if discovered 67 years ago, has kept always its secrets from us: How does it get its mass? Why is its mass so small compared to others?. Neutrinos being Majorana neutrinos solve not only these questions but also questions such as “Why does the universe not contain equal amounts of matter and antimatter?”. This proposal will use the world’s largest and most powerful collider to answer this question by exploring the corners that we have previously been unable to reach experimentally.
Irrationality Questions for L-values
Wadim Zudilin Institute for Mathematics, Astrophysics and Particle Physics (IMAPP), Faculty of Science
The vast majority of real numbers are irrational, that is, they cannot be written as quotients of two integers. The number π = 3.1415926. . . , which is defined as the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter, is one such notable example. But for many other mathematically famous quantities, like the values of Riemann’s zeta function at odd positive integers, the irrationality remains a difficult open problem. The proposed project is aimed at solving such challenges and creating new methods to be used in other areas of mathematics.