What are the responsibilities and job description for the Internship - High-Energy Gamma-Ray Polarimetry with AMEGO-X position at CRESST II?
Polarization is an important astrophysical observable. It allows to constrain the physical processes that generate the observed radiation, and sometimes includes otherwise unattainable geometric information. However, it is rarely measured in the gamma-ray energy regime due to instrumental challenges.
The All-sky Medium Energy Gamma-ray Observatory eXplorer (AMEGO-X) is a space mission concept designed to identify and characterize gamma rays from extreme explosions and accelerators. AMEGO-X will probe the medium energy gamma-ray band using a single instrument with sensitivity up to an order of magnitude greater than previous telescopes in the energy range 100 keV to 1 GeV that can be only realized in space.
One of the new and exciting perspectives opened by AMEGO-X is gamma-ray polarimetry. Above 10 MeV, the gamma-rays which interact with the instrument preferentially convert into an electron-positron pair. This process is sensitive to the linear polarization through the determination, for each detected gamma ray, of the azimutal direction of the generated electron and positron. Measuring this azimuthal direction is extremely challenging due to the scattering of the electron and positron in the detector's material.
The proposed project aims at evaluating the sensitivity to polarization of AMEGO-X. This work will be done with the help of the existing Monte-Carlo simulation and data analysis software for AMEGO-X, written in C . The intern will be expected to run simulations to understand and quantify the response of the instrument to polarized gamma rays. Depending on the intern's centers of interest, he/she could also participate in the implementation of the polarization measurement routine.
Experience with C programming, or data analysis in high-energy astrophysics, nuclear or particle physics is not mandatory but will be regarded favorably.
Stipend Amount: Undergraduates receive a stipend up to $8,200. Graduates receive a stipend up to $9,900.
Dates of Internship: This summer internship will begin on Monday, June 2, 2025 and end on Friday, August 8, 2025. Deviations from this specific period are possible with the agreement of the designated mentor.
