OFFICIAL MEMBERS
MARTINE SCHUT
PhD Student
My research interests are in field theories, gravity and quantum systems. My main focus is on infrared quantum gravity, entanglement and decoherence. The goal of my research is to study large quantum systems that are entangled via gravity using mathematical techniques. I do this under the supervision of Anupam Mazumdar and Roland van der Veen at the Van Swinderen Institute and the Bernoulli Institute. At the moment I'm studying soft graviton emissions during potential scattering and I'm investigating the entropy of large entangled systems in different configurations, which are entangled via their mutual gravitational interaction.
Kevin van Helden
PhD Student
My research is centered around interplay between mathematics and physics. To be more specific, my areas of interest include differential geometry, Lie theory and homological algebra on the mathematical side, and non-relativistic theories of gravity and field theory on the physical side. My current research projects are on classifying low dimensional strongly homotopy Lie algebras, which are a generalization of Lie algebras used in (string) field theories, and on understanding Chern-Simons theory for non-relativistic gravity and its relation with knots.
Giovanni van Marion
PhD Student
One of the large open fundamental questions in physics is: "Why is there so much more matter than antimatter in the universe?" In regards to this question, I investigate the so-called sphaleron process, a hypothetical component of the solution. I apply an interdisciplinary approach to this problem by combining my theoretical physics background with mathematical techniques originally developed for chemistry. This project is made possible by working with both the Bernoulli and Van Swinderen Institutes here at the UG.
Jann Aschersleben
PhD Student
My research is focused on the nature of dark matter, which is one of the biggest outstanding questions in physics. I develop machine learning algorithms to analyse the gamma-ray spectrum of dwarf galaxies with the upcoming Cherenkov Telescope Array (CTA) to search for a potential signal from dark matter self-annihilation. This project is supervised by Prof. Dr. R.F. Peletier and Dr. M. Vecchi from the Kapteyn Astronomical Institute, and Dr. M.H.F. Wilkinson from the Bernoulli Institute for Mathematics, Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence at the University of Groningen.
Dijs de Neeling
PhD Student
In Newton’s theory of gravity, the two-body problem be solved easily, resulting in beautifully simple ellipses closing in on themselves (in principle) for all eternity. Einstein’s theory however becomes complicated so quickly that we cannot even exactly solve the ordinary Kepler problem! To get a grip on the properties of gravitational problems, we look at some theories slightly different from General Relativity, with more easily describable equations, guided, as often in Physics, by their symmetries.
Nanna Kerlauge
PhD Student
My research concerns the search for variation of fundamental constants using radio astronomy and
computational chemistry. This is done using accurate measurements of molecular transitions in interstellar clouds, imprinted on background quasar spectra. These transitions energies, and their dependence on the fundamental constants, are computed using ab initio methods. The observational part of the project is supervised by professor John McKean of the Kapteyn institute, while the computational part is supervised by professor Anastasia Borchevsky of the Van Swinderen Insitute.
Thomas Flöss
PhD Student
I study the use of 21 cm cosmology as a way to explore the physics of the early universe under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Diederik Roest and Dr. Daan Meerburg at the Van Swinderen Institute and Prof. Dr. Leon Koopmans at the Kapteyn Institute. The goal of my research is to determine predictions of cosmological inflation and determine to what extent the 21 cm signal from the Cosmological Dark Ages can be used to test them.
ASSOCIATE MEMBERS
Pranav Kukreti
Mentor & PhD Student
I’m a PhD student at the Kapteyn Astronomical Institute and ASTRON in the Netherlands. The goal of my PhD is to study the gas and life cycle of radio galaxies, especially galaxies that show multiple phases of activity. I’m trying to connect the evolutionary sequence of radio galaxies with information about the surrounding gas and investigate whether the gas and its properties influence the presence/life of the radio source (triggering activity) and, conversely, whether the gas is influenced by the presence of the radio source (e.g. producing fast outflows, feedback).
