The International Cosmic Day took place in Bonn this year on November 26 at the Research and Technology Center for Detector Physics Bonn. 30 students from 10 different schools in the surrounding regions were invited to learn about and decode the world of mysterious cosmic radiation through various formats.
Cosmic Day is an initiative of DESY in Zeuthen and aims to give young people access to the world of invisible particles, answer questions and promote international cooperation. On this day, students from many research institutions from different countries and continents come together to conduct research together.
In Bonn, there was a varied program of lectures, guided tours, and experiments. A major highlight of the day was the first guest lecture by Dr. Malte Tewis (AIFA Bonn), who described the exciting search for dark matter and dark energy with the help of ESA's Euclid mission. Sebastian Laudage (PI Bonn) then explained the discovery and physical background of cosmic rays to the students.
The day was then dedicated to applied experiments, which were carried out and evaluated by the students. First, cloud chambers were built from dry ice and isopropanol to make cosmic rays visible through condensation on ions. Then, working in groups, various properties of cosmic radiation were measured using scintillation counters of the Cosmic Watch type. How does cosmic radiation depend on the zenith angle? How much is it attenuated by different materials? How much cosmic radiation occurs at high altitudes, for example in an airplane? The pupils designed, carried out, and evaluated their own experiments.
At the end of the day, the young researchers summarized their results in order to share them with other research groups at an international conference. A one-hour exchange with other international research groups (from Naples, Genoa and Florence) took place via Zoom. Many groups presented rate measurements depending on different factors, and similarities but also differences in approach, detector type and results were identified.
We would like to thank the organizers of the 13th International Cosmic Day for once again successfully hosting the event. We would also like to thank all participants for their numerous attendance and extend a special thanks to all the helpers who made the day in Bonn possible.
