Data Sonification in Accelerators and Particle Physics

Research Group: Sound and Game Engineering (SAGE) Research Group
https://www.anglia.ac.uk/science-and-technology/research/our-research-institutes-and-groups/sound-and-game-engineering

Proposed supervisory team: Dr Domenico Vicinanza ([Email Address Removed])
https://www.anglia.ac.uk/science-and-technology/about/computing-and-technology/our-staff/domenico-vicinanza

Theme: Data sonification, accelerator physics and engineering, particle physics

Summary of the research project:

Resonances, periodicity, patterns and spectra are well-known notions that play crucial roles in particle physics, and that have always been at the junction between sound/music analysis and scientific exploration. Detecting the shape of a particular energy spectrum, studying the stability of a particle beam in a synchrotron, and separating signals from a noisy background are just a few examples where the connection with sound can be very strong, all sharing the same concepts of oscillations, cycles and frequency.

Our approach is based on the idea of analysing the waveforms and their relations by translating them into audible signals and using the natural capability of the ear to distinguish, characterise and analyse waveform shapes, amplitudes and relations. This process is called data sonification, and one of the main tools to investigate the structure of the sound is the sonogram (sometimes also called a spectrogram). A sonogram is a visual representation of how the spectrum of a certain sound signal changes with time, and we can use sonograms to examine the phase relations between a large collection of variables without having to reduce the data. Spectral analysis is a particularly relevant tool in many scientific disciplines, for example in high-energy physics, where the interest lies in energy spectra, pattern and anomaly detections, and phase transitions.

The research project will explore the sonification in accelerator physics and particle physics, in collaboration with CERN Knowledge Transfer team in Geneva.

Where you'll study: Cambridge
https://www.anglia.ac.uk/student-life/life-on-campus/cambridge-campus

Funding:

This project is self-funded. Details of studentships for which funding is available are selected by a competitive process and are advertised on our jobs website as they become available.

https://www24.i-grasp.com/fe/tpl_angliaruskin01.asp

Next steps:

If you wish to be considered for this project, you will need to apply for our Sound Engineering PhD. In the section of the application form entitled 'Outline research proposal', please quote the above title and include a research proposal.