The Weak interaction, mediated by the W and Z bosons, is the force responsible for radioactive decays. As the name implies, it is much weaker than the other forces relevant in particle physics, the Strong and Electromagnetic interactions. That is why it is very difficult to measure weak interactions in electron collisions, since an absolutely overwhelming fraction of interactions will be electromagnetic.
In this Master's thesis, you will develop a novel kind of electron scattering experiment to measure the Weak interaction rate. To suppress the the electromagnetic backgrounds, the experiment will focus on detecting reaction products in the target material that can only be created in Weak interactions. This way, the immense electromagnetic interaction rate will not matter. Initial estimates show that it might be possible to run this experiment at the MESA electron accelerator here in Mainz. If successful, it will be the world's first measurement of this kind. The aim of this thesis is to simulate the setup and develop the experiment in more detail. Depending on the progress made, it could also include work on some prototype measurements.
The thesis will happen in the Group of Prof. Weber. If you are interested in this topic, please contact Lukas Koch for details.