DrChristian Wittweg

I am an experimental particle physicist and Assistant Professor of Physics at Imperial College London. My research revolves around dark matter and neutrinos – particles that may hold the answers to fundamental questions about our Universe. As they interact so rarely and feebly, I am involved in building large, low-threshold and low-background detectors. These detectors use highly pure liquid xenon to detect these rare events. The detectors are built from materials selected for ultra-low radiactivity and take data in laboratories deep underground where they are shielded from cosmic radiation. 

I am a collaborator on the LUX-ZEPLIN (LZ) and XLZD experiments. LZ operates a xenon detector with world-leading sensitivity to dark matter interactions at the Sanford Underground Research Facility in South Dakota in the United States. The next generation experiment XLZD is currently in the planning phase. With an almost tenfold increase in target mass together with a further reduction of experimental backgrounds, it will be the ultimate detector for dark matter candidates with masses in the GeV to TeV range. Owed to its size, low detection threshold and low background XLZD will also be sensitive to neutrinos, alternative dark matter candidates such as dark photons and axion-like particles, and rare, hypothetical nuclear decays. This will make XLZD the Swiss-Army knife of astro-particle physics.

As a member of the Mineral Detection of Dark Matter (MDDM) collaboration, I develop a new kind of particle detectors for neutrinos and dark matter. They are based on crystals which are exposed to particle fluxes like photographic film and later read out under a microscope. I develop new microscopes, readout schemes and analysis techniques with close ties to the bio-imaging community.

Beyond lab work and data analysis, I am deeply passionate about teaching and outreach. I have taught several course formats from undergraduate to postgraduate level. I have organized outreach events, competed in Science Slams and give accessible and public lectures on my research.