Fellows of the Netzwerk Teilchenwelt from all over Germany were able to take part in the workshop. There was great interest and all available places were booked. In addition to participants from Bonn, Fellows also traveled from many other locations, including Erlangen, Mainz and Koblenz.
Under the guidance of Sebastian Laudage (working group of Prof. Florian Bernlochener) and Dr. Maike Hansen, the participants built their own small particle detectors. Using soldering sets from the electronics workshop at the Research and Technology Center for Detector Physics, mobile workstations were set up at which the participants worked in groups of two.
The participants had the opportunity to gain initial experience in soldering and to understand the physics of semiconductor detectors through practical work. The detectors they built enabled the measurement of ionizing radiation so that the participants were able to measure various slightly radioactive samples at the end of the workshop. They were allowed to take the devices they had built home with them for further measurements and as a souvenir.
The detector design is based on an open-source concept "DIY Particle Detector" by Oliver Keller (CERN) and offers a beginner-friendly opportunity for those interested in building their own small particle detector. At the end of the successful day, all the detectors built worked without any problems and could be used for measurements.
If you go to school or study, have an interest in particle physics, and would like to build your own detector as part of a subject project or special learning achievement, please contact the Netzwerk Teilchenwelt in Bonn.
