Astroparticle European Research Area

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The Astroparticle European Research Area ( ASPERA ) is a research network funded by the European Commission that brings together scientists and government institutions from European countries who are active in the field of astroparticle physics or who fund this area. The aim of the network is to bundle the national efforts of the member countries and thus to advance astroparticle physics in a coordinated manner across Europe. ASPERA is funded under the sixth research framework program of the European Union with a total of 2.5 million euros in the period from 2006 to 2009.

The term ASPERA was chosen based on the Latin proverb per aspera ad astra , which literally means through the rough to the stars , meaning without diligence no price .

aims

The goals of the ASPERA research network include a .:

  • Development of a scientific strategy ( Scientific Roadmap ) in order to formulate scientific goals and to be able to develop and build the major projects necessary to achieve them in Europe
  • Cross-border, if possible pan-European cooperation on large-scale projects of the next generation
  • Creation of a common information system in order to compare the very different processes for evaluating and financing research projects in the individual countries. In this way, formal and legal hurdles can be identified that make targeted cooperation in Europe difficult.
  • Develop a model of cooperation between national agencies to jointly finance transnational programs
  • Expansion of the existing network to include all institutions active in the field of astroparticle physics in Europe

Time schedule

ASPERA started in mid-2006 and will run for three years. The scientific strategy ( roadmap ) is to be formulated by July 2008, specifying clear priorities in the individual areas of astroparticle physics.

A joint action plan is to be presented by January 2009 on how new research infrastructure (e.g. large detectors and telescopes) in the field of astroparticle physics is to be financed. By July 2009, the national funding programs are to be coordinated accordingly and aligned with the action plan. Then ASPERA expires and the programs recognized as technically and financially feasible start.

From July 1, 2009 to June 30, 2012, ASPERA was continued as ASPERA-2. In the summer of 2012, the European Astroparticle Physics Strategy (APPEC) was founded and is to run until 2026

activities

At the beginning of ASPERA, the participating scientists and agencies get an overview of the current status in the field of astroparticle physics in Europe. To this end, workshops and special campaign days are taking place in all participating countries.

After recording the current situation, a working group within ASPERA then formulates a common strategy for this branch of science. At the same time, a process is being developed to assess and compare research projects across Europe and to jointly manage and finance European objects.

Astroparticle Physics in Europe

The young research branch of astroparticle physics combines the research of the whole small with that of the whole big. Aspects of particle physics , astronomy and cosmology play a role. Since the devices for measuring z. B. neutrinos , gamma rays and cosmic rays of the highest energy are getting bigger and more expensive, a coordinated approach of the European states within the framework of ASPERA is essential in order to maintain the leading position of Europe.

In ASPERA's scientific strategy ( roadmap ), the scientists formulate seven core areas in which different devices and methods are used: high-energy gamma rays, neutrino mass, high-energy cosmic rays, high-energy neutrinos, direct detection of dark matter , detection of gravitational waves , low-energy neutrinos and the decay of the proton . ASPERA should identify the two most important projects for all of these areas by 2009 and examine ways of implementation.

Roadmap: The Magic Seven

The scientists united in ASPERA presented the seven most heavily funded projects at a workshop in Brussels on September 29, 2008, which are primarily devoted to the main questions of this branch of research: What is dark matter? Where does cosmic radiation come from? What role do energy-rich processes play in the cosmos? Can gravitational waves be detected? Seven instruments are to be used to clarify these questions:

  • CTA, the Cherenkov Telescope Array. It should be used for the detection of high-energy cosmic rays.
  • KM3NeT, a neutrino telescope in the Mediterranean that is said to be almost a cubic kilometer in size.
  • Detectors that weigh at least about a ton to search for dark matter particles.
  • Detectors of at least a ton to determine the fundamental properties and mass of the neutrinos.
  • Detectors comprising at least a million tons to study the decay of the neutron. Another field of application is neutrino physics, to determine the properties of neutrinos.
  • A large network of detectors that is supposed to detect charged cosmic rays.
  • A third generation antenna installed underground for the detection of gravitational waves.

It is questionable whether all seven projects identified by the steering group for the roadmap process will actually be implemented. Planning is furthest advanced at CTA and KM3NeT. Construction could start on both projects in 2012.

Institutions involved

ASPERA currently includes 17 research agencies from 13 countries:

ASPERA is open to new members from the field of astroparticle physics.

ASPERA is a further development of ApPEC ( Astroparticle Physics European Coordination ), which six research agencies from Europe founded in 2001 to advance the coordination of astroparticle physics in Europe.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ https://www.helmholtz.de/forschung/helmholtz_international/europaeische_projekte/archiv_fp7/sonstige_foerderprogramme/era_nets/aspera_2/
  2. ↑ http://www.appec.org/about/history
  3. ↑ http://www.appec.org/roadmap