• ### Holger Kluck

Postdoc
Email: Holger.Kluck@oeaw.ac.at
Location: HEPHY, 220
Phone: +43 1 5447328 - 29

### Research interests

My research interest is particle astrophysics, especially the search for dark matter: it provides a fascinating connection between observations of the largest structures in the universe with the physics of elementary particles. Astronomical observations of dark matter are also one of the strongest indications of a new physics beyond the standard model of particle physics.

Since the days of my doctoral studies I have contributed to the direct search for dark matter: in the beginning as part of the EDELWEISS experiment, now as a member of the CRESST and EURECA collaborations and the DEPFET project. An additional research interest is adapting the CRESST detector technique for the measurement of coherent neutrino nucleus scattering (CNNS) within the $\nu$-cleus project. In all these cases I provide studies of the relevant background processes, and for EURECA I also coordinate the related working group within the collaboration. In the case of CRESST I also contribute to developing the necessary detector electronics.

Common to all of these experiments is the fact that the signal rate is very low. Therefore, a precise knowledge of the background contribution is crucial. The background sources cover a wide range of individual processes and energy scales, e.g. neutron production by cosmic muons at TeVs, but also eV energy depositions by Auger electrons caused by intrinsic contaminations of the detector with products of the U/Th decay chains. I study the contribution of each process via Monte Carlo simulations based on the software framework Geant4.

Besides background simulation, I’m also interested in detector development. During my doctoral studies I developed a neutron multi meter and the related data acquisition electronics for measuring muon-induced neutrons. Currently, I am coordinating the development of new SQUID-based readout electronics for the next iteration of CRESST.

### Biographical sketch

• Since April 2014 Postdoctoral Fellow at HEPHY and Universitätsassistent at the Atominstitut of the TU Wien.
• 2013 Obtain the degree "Doktor der Naturwissenschaften (Dr.rer.nat.)", i.e. equivalent to a PhD, at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT), graded with Magna Cum Laude, dissertation about "Measurement of the cosmic-induced neutron yield at the Modane underground laboratory" carried out at the Institute for Experimental Nuclear Physics of the KIT.
• 2013 Doctoral fellow of the graduate school "Karlsruhe School of Elementary Particle and Astroparticle Physics: Science and Technology" (KSETA) at the KIT.
• 2008 – 2013 Doctoral fellow of the DFG research training group „High-energy Physics and Particle Astrophysics“ (GRK 742) at the KIT.
• 2002 – 2007 Study of Physics at the University of Karlsruhe (TH); finished with the degree "Diplom Physiker (Dipl.-Phys.)", i.e. equivalent to a master degree in physics, master thesis about „Aufbau und Test eines Prototyp-Neutronendetektors für das EDELWEISS Experiment [Set-up and test of a prototype of a neutron detector for the EDELWEISS experiment]" carried out at the Institute for Nuclear Physics, Forschungszentrum Karlsruhe GmbH, Germany.

### Funding

#### Awards

My PhD dissertation received an award from the publishing house Springer for outstanding research and was published as an extended edition within the book series “Springer Theses” as "Production Yield of Muon-Induced Neutrons in Lead".

### Supervision

• Ph.D. students
• Cenk Türkoğlu, since April 2015
• Master students
• Alexander Fuß, "Light Yield and Quenching Factor Simulations based on Birk's Law for a CRESST-like $\mathsf{CaWO_4}$ Crystal", 2017
• Project students
• Fabian Schaden, "Determination of a light yield spectrum for a 'beaker' detector module used in CRESST-II phase 2", 2017
• Lea Heckmann, "Simulation of the position dependent light detection efficiencies for the CRESST detector module TUM40", 2017
• Martin Kirchner, "Study of $(\alpha, n)$ Reactions in Geant4", 2016
• Sebastian Templ, "Calculation of the Light Yield for a CRESST-II Module by Application of Birks' Law", 2015
• Alexander Fuß, "Simulation and analysis of low energy neutron scattering in $\mathsf{CaWO_4}$", 2015

### Teaching

• TU Wien WS 2017/18
• 141.A46, Project "Experimental Methods in High Energy Physics"
• 141.A49, Lecture "Search for Dark Matter"
• TU Wien WS 2016/17
• 134.125, Exercise "Numerical Excercises to Fundamentals of Physics III"
• 141.A46, Project "Experimental Methods in High Energy Physics"
• 141.A49, Lecture "Search for Dark Matter"
• TU Wien SS 2016
• 138.008, Exercise "Numerical Excercises to Fundamentals of Physics II"
• TU Wien WS 2015/16
• 138.007, Exercise "Numerical Excercises to Fundamentals of Physics I"
• 141.A46, Project "Experimental Methods in High Energy Physics"
• TU Wien SS 2015
• 141.A49, Lecture "Search for Dark Matter"
• TU Wien WS 2014/15
• 141.A46, Project "Experimental Methods in High Energy Physics"

### Outreach activities

On the Vienna „Dark Matter Day“ (31 Oct. 2017) I presented galactic rotation curves as one hint to dark matter.

In the exposition „Spurensuche - Die Bausteine des Universums“ I participate as one of the guides, explaining the exhibits during the opening ceremony (11 Sept. 2014).

### Further Information

A complete list of my publications can be found on INSPIRE and on my ORCID profile.

I’m also reviewer for the European Physical Journal C (Eur.Phys.J C).