Astrocent / NCAC PAS

Astrocent (NCAC PAS) has signed an MoU with @cern.bsky.social to join the DRD1 Collaboration! 🚀 We’ll help develop cutting-edge gaseous detector tech for future physics experiments - and we’re hosting the next DRD1 meeting in Warsaw, 6–10 Oct 2025!
#DRD1 #collaboration

A person standing next to a scientific poster titled “Background Reduction in the DEAP-3600 Dark Matter Detector.” The poster includes diagrams, graphs, and descriptions of experimental methods. The person is holding a coffee cup and smiling at the camera.

Cheyanne Monk presents a background reduction in the DEAP-3600 detector at Women+ in Physics Canada!
We’re now over halfway filled, and the data looks excellent - great news for future experiments like DarkSide-20k & ARGO.
#WomenInPhysics #darkmatter

A group photo of ET-PP Annual Meeting participants taken on the rooftop terrace under a bright blue sky. The attendees, wearing conference badges, are standing and smiling against a backdrop of city buildings.

A large group of attendees standing together on an outdoor terrace under a sunny sky during the ET-PP Annual Meeting in Barcelona. Most participants are wearing blue lanyards and name badges, and the background shows modern rooftop structures.

A group of people posing indoors for a group photo during the ET-PP Annual Meeting. They are wearing blue lanyards with name badges, and a video call screen in the background shows additional participants joining remotely.

A man standing at a podium inside an auditorium, delivering a presentation during the ET-PP Annual Meeting at the Barcelona School of Management. A slide projected behind him shows the event title “ET-PP annual meeting 22nd July 2024” and a photo of a building.

ET-PP Annual Meeting in Barcelona 🇪🇺
22-24 July ET-PP consortium met to review progress & plan the next steps for building the foundations of the Einstein Telescope. 30 institutions, 11 countries, one vision for Europe’s #gravitationalwave future!
#ETPP #InfraDev #HorizonEurope

Close-up of an IBER 2025 conference badge on top of the event booklet. The badge includes the conference title, dates (21–24 July 2025), and location (Vigo, Spain), along with multiple institutional logos.

A speaker giving an invited talk at the IBER 2025 conference in Vigo, Spain. The person is standing near a screen displaying a presentation titled “Enhancing light collection of next-generation Dark Matter detectors – from wavelength-shifters to novel hybrid optical structures,” with the Astrocent logo visible.

Astrocent at #IBER2025! 🇪🇸
Dr. André Cortez presented on boosting light collection for next-gen #darkmatter detectors - key for rare-event searches. Great collaboration with University of Coimbra, @Universidade de Aveiro & IGFAE!

Four researchers stand in a laboratory next to a complex cryogenic and detector setup with stainless steel tubes, cables, and sensors. Behind them is an open control cabinet with wiring, monitors showing data plots, and electronic equipment on tables.

A researcher wearing a colorful floral headscarf and light clothing is working on an experimental cryogenic detector system with aluminum foil-wrapped components and connected blue wires. Laboratory shelves with tools and containers are visible in the background.

A researcher in a floral headscarf stands beside a tall cryogenic detector system with multiple cables and control sensors. Computer monitors in the background display real-time data charts and graphs.

A researcher in a patterned headscarf stands next to a large presentation screen showing the title: ‘A Novel Total-Body PET Scanner Using Xenon-Doped Liquid Argon Scintillator for Outstanding Detection.’ Logos of collaborating institutions and projects are visible at the bottom.

Dr. Azam Zabihi (Astrocent/NCAC) is visiting IHEP in Beijing as part of the PROBES Project to work on cryogenic systems and TPC technology. On July 16, she presented a seminar on using xenon-doped liquid argon scintillators for advanced PET scanners in medical physics.
#HorizonEurope

Meet GW231123!
#gravitationalwave #LIGOVirgoKAGRA

Record-Setting Dark Matter Detector Comes Up Empty—and That's Good News LUX-ZEPLIN’s latest result sets the most stringent limit on WIMPs' interaction strength to date.

Record-Setting Dark Matter Detector Comes Up Empty—and That's Good News https://gizmodo.com/record-setting-dark-matter-detector-comes-up-empty-and-thats-good-news-2000625783

We are hiring! Applications are invited for a postdoc at Astrocent / NCAC PAS.
The successful applicant will work on the project “Understanding delayed (spurious) emission mechanisms in dual-phase TPCs for #DarkMatter searches"
Job description: euraxess.ec.europa.eu/jobs/357373
@ncn.gov.pl

Map of Germany highlighting the locations of the nine large-scale research infrastructure projects selected in the national prioritisation process (Forschungsinfrastruktur – FIS). Each project is marked with a labeled blue circle (letters C, D, E, H, I, L, P, R, S) corresponding to its acronym and institution. The Einstein Telescope (labelled "E") is included and linked to RWTH Aachen, Universität Münster, Ruhr-Universität Bochum, and Technische Universität Dresden. The map was published by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF).

🌍 The ET preparatory phase has been shortlisted among 🇩🇪 Germany’s top 9 large-scale research infrastructures - a major recognition of its global relevance & scientific ambition!
📢 Full statement: shorturl.at/7Jkzw
#ETproject #Science #ResearchInfrastructures

A group of ten people standing in front of a large presentation screen displaying the PhD thesis title. The PhD candidate stands at the center holding a diploma folder. Everyone is smiling, and the setting is a lecture hall.

The PhD candidate stands on stage in front of the screen showing the thesis title, listening to a faculty member delivering final remarks at a microphone. The atmosphere is formal, with a few people visible in the background.

🎓 On June 26, our team member Sarthak Choudhary defended his PhD at NCAC PAS! Title: Optimisation of Light Collection in LAr Detectors and Modelling PSD for Dark Matter Searches. Congrats to Sarthak and his supervisor, Prof. Marcin Kuźniak! 👏 #PhDDefense #DarkMatter #NCN #Opus

Diagram and photo of a particle detection setup. Left: a schematic of a test volume showing VUV and visible photon paths, a PMT, source holder positions, and gaps in the foil. Right: two people in cleanroom suits standing beside the assembled detector frame, partially covered with reflective foil.

🧪 Our new JINST article reports results from 2023 CERN campaign! PEN film shows stable light-shifting in LAr over 12 days - key for future neutrino/dark matter detectors.
With TUM, UZH, U. Edinburgh, Nikhef, INFN Bologna, CERN, UH Manoa.
#DarkWave #H2020 #PENfilm

Astrocent team members posing together during the DarkSide-20k summer collaboration meeting in Sardinia, June 2025. The group stands in front of a tree with a pool area and greenery in the background.

A calm seashore in Sardinia with ‘ACNT’ written in the sand.

Astrocent joined the DarkSide-20k summer meeting in Sardinia (2–6 June), working with global partners to push the search for #darkmatter forward. WIMPs beware - we’re coming for you with 20 tonnes of liquid argon! 💡🕳️

On 29 May, Astrocent's PhD student Wathela Alhassan successfully defended his thesis on using deep learning to detect binary black hole signals for the Einstein Telescope. Congrats to Dr. Alhassan, his supervisors, and reviewers! 👏 @einsteintelescope.bsky.social
#PhDDefense

A man in a grey blazer stands on an indoor stage, holding a microphone and presentation remote. To his right, a large monitor displays a slide titled “Windows on the Universe” with space-themed images. To his left, a purple conference backdrop reads “DEEP TECH ATELIER” and features a neon-style circuit-tree graphic alongside EU and “Mission Latvia” logos. An empty chair and a small potted plant sit in the background.

Prof. Leszek Roszkowski 🇱🇹🇱🇻 (12–16 May): showcased #AstrocentPlus at #DeepTechAtelier2025 🚀, met #SustAInLivWork (Kaunas) & #COMART2 (Riga) to boost research excellence. Building bridges for science without borders! 🌌✨ #HorizonEU #WIDERA

A presenter in a yellow coat and beige headscarf sits behind a Sun–Earth–Moon demonstration model; on the table is a poster titled “What is the Universe Made of?” highlighting dark matter and dark energy.

Two women stand side by side, smiling next to their planetary-motion model at the Science Picnic stall.

Outdoors a volunteer demonstrates a black-boxed telescope-style device on a tripod to a group of curious children, with colourful spectra charts spread on the table.

Inside the science-fair tent, bundled-up children colour astronomy worksheets at low tables while parents and other visitors observe the activities.

Ale Kosmos! 🔭✨
Last Saturday (10 May) our AstroCeNT Plus crew attended the 28th Piknik Naukowy in Warsaw’s PGE Narodowy!
Huge thanks to everyone who stopped by, asked brilliant questions and proved that curiosity really is universal! 🌌🤝

#outreach #TfE

“Digital poster for the ASTROCENT Seminar Series titled Astroparticle Frontiers. A dark-to-blue gradient background fills the graphic. Top left: a stylized circular logo. Large white heading reads ‘ASTROPARTICLE FRONTIERS’; beneath it, the date ‘May 15, 2025’. Further down, a bold quote announces the talk: ‘Importance of directionality in the search for dark matter within the neutrino fog – The CYGNO Experiment’. On the right, a circular photo shows the seminar’s speaker – a young bearded man in a casual hoodie, seated in a café setting.

The third event of the Astroparticle Frontiers Seminar Series.
Dr. Giorgio Dho will explore how directionality could be the key to unlocking the mystery of #darkmatter, even in the presence of elusive particles such as #neutrinos.
📅 May 15, 2025
🕑 2 pm
🔗 Registration: lnkd.in/diaRchCa

Left: Schematic representation of the cryogenic setup for liquefaction, mixing, and purification of argon and xenon. The circles marked with “P” represent pressure transducers, while the box marked as “MFC” represents the mass flow controller. Top right: Open PTFE detector chamber, lined with Lambertian Black™ foil, showing the bottom array of Hamamatsu SiPM modules. Bottom right: Four Hamamatsu modules of VUV-sensitive SiPMs mounted on a custom-designed readout board.

A new scientific paper featuring contributions from ASTROCENT team members has just been published in Physical Review D 📄✨
The article is available open access here: lnkd.in/dWi3TrdR

We are delighted to welcome Katarzyna Szyniszewska as our new Research Projects Coordinator!
With nearly two decades of success securing and managing #HorizonEurope, #H2020 and NCN projects, Kasia brings deep expertise our team.
Welcome aboard, Kasia!
#TfE #AstrocentPlus #Astrocent_team

🔬 Join us on April 24 for a seminar “Searching for the Invisible Universe with the LZ Experiment” with Dr. Paulo Brás (LIP - Universidade de Coimbra). Hosted by Astrocent & online – free & open to all!
📍 Register: lnkd.in/dQk47gNJ
#AstroparticleFrontiersSeminar #Physics #TfE #NCN #MSCA

Split image with two photographs: the left side shows the exterior of the Nicolaus Copernicus Astronomical Center building surrounded by greenery under a partly cloudy sky; the right side shows the entrance to LIP (Laboratório de Instrumentação e Física Experimental de Partículas) with a frosted glass door bearing the LIP logo and a COVID-19 safety poster above it. Both sides are framed with a purple graphic background including the logos of Astrocent and LIP.

Astrocent/NCAC and LIP have signed an MoU for scientific & tech collaboration! We're planning joint research, exchanges, and shared innovation. Excited to learn from each other and discover new things—together. 🌍🔬 #SciencePartnership #MAB #TfE #NCN

Astrocent welcomes new PhD student Samuel Belayneh Habtemariam! With a background in materials physics and a focus on detector tech for #darkmatter searches, Samuel joins Research Group led by Prof. Marcin Kuźniak. We're glad to have him on board! 🌌

A speaker stands at the front of a lecture room presenting a talk titled "Development towards Light Dark Matter Searches and Medical Applications." The slide is projected on a large screen, and several attendees are seated and listening attentively. The event takes place at the University of Warsaw on April 4, 2025.

The Astrocent - Faculty of Physics UW collaboration continues! Prof. Masayuki Wada gave a seminar on light dark matter detection with DarkSide-LowMass and its connection to #PETscanner tech. A great exchange of ideas with impact across disciplines!

A researcher talking with a colleague in front of a projected slide titled "Enhanced optical amplification structures for Dark Matter searches" during a seminar.

Visitors observing experimental physics equipment during a laboratory tour at the University of Warsaw.

On 28 March, Dr. André Cortez spoke at the High Energy Physics Seminar (Faculty of Physics, University of Warsaw) on enhanced optical amplification for #darkmatter searches. Thanks to UW colleagues for the warm welcome and lab tour! #DarkMatter #AstroparticlePhysics

YouTube video by Astrocent Astroparticle Frontiers. Lecture 1

The first talk in the ASTROCENT Seminar Series "Astroparticle Frontiers" is now on YouTube! 🎙️ Dr Miroslav Macko: "How can we study neutrino physics without neutrinos?" 👉 youtu.be/sdg993qMop4?...
#AstroparticleFrontiersSeminar #MAB #TfE #HorizonEurope #AstrocentPlus

Nice to see our former PhD student, Théo, continuing his journey with dark matter! He successfully defended his thesis in 2024, and we’re excited to see his contributions to the field!

🚀 The ET Blue Book is out on arXiv! 📖🔬 A milestone for the #ETCollaboration & #ETPP project, this ~550-page study explores ET’s science case, from fundamental physics to multi-messenger astronomy. A major step toward the future of GW research!
arxiv.org/abs/2503.12263
#HorizonEurope

A person smiling in front of the ocean, with Gaztelugatxe — a rocky island featuring a small chapel — visible in the background on a sunny day

Diego Rodas Rodríguez joined the AstroCeNT team as a new PhD student! He studied at the University of Santiago de Compostela, worked on gaseous detectors at IGFAE, and contributed to #DUNE. His work focuses on detectors and #darkmatter. Welcome, Diego! 👋
#Sonata19 #NCN

🔬 Join us on March 27 for a seminar with Dr. Miroslav Macko (#SuperNEMO), expert in double-beta decay & nuclear physics. Hosted by AstroCeNT & online – free & open to all!
📍 Register: lnkd.in/dQk47gNJ

#AstroparticleFrontiers #Physics #AstroCeNT

A group of people poses in front of a large UCR (University of California, Riverside) sign outdoors. The group consists of men and women dressed casually and professionally. Behind them, there are trees, bushes, and the UCR bell tower under a clear blue sky.

A man in a gray sweater and dark pants stands at the front of a conference room, pointing at a projected slide titled "Data Base" with the subtitle "Examples of Metadata in the DB." The room has a projector, laptops, and a table with cables. The lighting is dim to make the presentation more visible.

A woman in a white turtleneck and blue pants presents in a conference room, standing in front of a projected slide titled "Why is Outreach Important?" The slide lists key points such as sharing information, educating, and getting funding. She gestures with her hands while speaking. A laptop and projector are set up in front of her.

6-9 March | Yuliya Hoika & Michal Olszewski joined the DEAP-3600 collaboration meeting at UCRiverside.
The experiment at @snolabscience.bsky.social hunts for #darkmatter using a 3.3-ton liquid argon detector.
We are proud to contribute! 🚀
@deap3600.bsky.social @ucriverside.bsky.social

Two women stand next to research posters at the Widening in Horizon Europe event at Warsaw University of Technology. The posters showcase Astrocent's communication and dissemination activities and the DarkWave project on dark matter search technologies. One woman wears a brown dress and white sneakers, while the other wears a black blazer with a plaid skirt and holds a booklet. The background features a pink wall.

🚀 On March 12, we participated the XIX Symposium KRAB at Warsaw University of Technology, organized by KPK NCBR & KRAB.
🔹 Astrocent presented two posters:
📌 Communication & Dissemination
📌 DarkWave Project (grant ID: 952480, NCAC PAS, Prof. Marcin Kuźniak)
More: lnkd.in/dJyM8AGC