Theme:  Understanding Ge detector technology and analysis methods used to search for rare decay processes. 

When:  1st and 3rd Thursdays at  8 AM CDT / 9 AM EDT / 3 PM CEST / 9 PM Beijing. 

Technologies: 

• Point contact and Inverted Coax Point Contact Ge detectors for neutrinoless double beta decay. (GERDA, MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR, LEGEND) 

• Ge Bolometry searches for Dark Matter (CDMS, EDELWEISS, SuperCDMS) 

• Point contact searches for Dark Matter and other beyond standard model physics (CDEX, MAJORANA DEMONSTRATOR) 

• Planar HPGe detectors 

• Crystal properties, … 

Analysis Methods: 

• Waveform Digitization and parameter extraction 

• Pulse shape discrimination methods 

• … 

Overview: 

Each session will be centered on reading / discussing a published paper which can either be a 

recent or in some cases “classic” paper from the field.  A set of questions, “Points to Ponder”, 

will be distributed in advance to help guide the reader. 

For each session a different faculty member and/or postdoctoral fellow will be responsible to 

facilitate the discussions and help answer questions. Graduate students will also be asked to 

help with the preparations and the discussions.  Participants will be actively engaged as they 

are asked to summarize what they have read and to answer/ask questions.  

Participants will also be asked to submit any additional questions at least a day in advance of 

the session to give facilitators an understanding of issues or concepts that need clarification. 

Educational outcomes: 

• Learning about different technologies being applied to fundamental physics measurements. 

• Exposure to the large variety of analysis methods being used in these measurements. 

• Experience in reading and understanding the scientific literature. 

• Participation in international science discussions.