Hans Volker Klapdor-Kleingrothaus
Encyclopedia
Hans Volker Klapdor-Kleingrothaus (also known as H.V. Klapdor) was born on January 25, 1942 in Reinbek and is a German physicist who works in nuclear physics
, particle physics
and astrophysics
.
Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics in Heidelberg
, originally studying heavy ion reactions. He received his habilitation
in Hamburg in 1971 and in Heidelberg
two years later. Since 1980 he is professor at the University of Heidelberg.
. He proposed and was subsequently spokesperson of the Heidelberg-Moscow experiment, which ran from 1990 until 2003 in the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso
, near Rome
. This experiment is currently the most sensitive double beta decay experiment.
A sub-group of the Heidelberg-Moscow experiment claimed first evidence for neutrinoless double beta decay.
The full data showed a significance of 6.4 standard deviations.
This result could be of fundamental importance for particle physics. If confirmed it would indicate (total) lepton number
violation, and provide
evidence that the neutrino
is a Majorana particle
.
A half-life of 2.2 1025 years was found for the decay of
Germanium-76.
The result was criticized by some authors
. The authors
responded to these criticisms in several articles
. The discussion was also reported in the media. The result is meanwhile supported by independent analysis
. A recent summary of the status of the Heidelberg-Moscow-experiment can be also found in.
Klapdor-Kleingrothaus also led the HDMS-experiment (Heidelberg Dark Matter Search) to search for dark matter in the Gran Sasso Underground Laboratory from 1999. He was spokesperson of the GENIUS
experiment which searches for dark matter and neutrinoless double beta decay.
A prototype of this experiment was conducted from 2003 to 2006 at the Gran Sasso Underground Laboratory.
He also held several patents on reactor technology as well as one on particle detectors.
and the Brookhaven National Laboratory
. Furthermore he had numerous visits and collaborations with the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR)
in Dubna
, Russia, and naturally with the Kurchatov Institute
in Moscow. He was visiting professor at Osaka, Tokyo and Kyoto, Japan - 1988 as guest of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
, and at Kyoto 1991 as guest professor at the Yukawa Institute
for Fundamental Physics. In 1997 he was again at Osaka by invitation of the Center of Excellence of the Japanese Ministry of Technology.
. 1998 and 2005, respectively, he received a physics prize of the JINR in Dubna, Russia for work on
"Physics Beyond Standard Model in rare Processes and in Cosmology" and "Looking for SUSY Dark Matter", respectively.
.
Nuclear physics
Nuclear physics is the field of physics that studies the building blocks and interactions of atomic nuclei. The most commonly known applications of nuclear physics are nuclear power generation and nuclear weapons technology, but the research has provided application in many fields, including those...
, particle physics
Particle physics
Particle physics is a branch of physics that studies the existence and interactions of particles that are the constituents of what is usually referred to as matter or radiation. In current understanding, particles are excitations of quantum fields and interact following their dynamics...
and astrophysics
Astrophysics
Astrophysics is the branch of astronomy that deals with the physics of the universe, including the physical properties of celestial objects, as well as their interactions and behavior...
.
Biography
Klapdor-Kleingrothaus studied physics at the University of Hamburg and received his PhD (Dr. rer. nat.) in 1969 with a thesis on gamma-ray spectroscopy at a particle accelerator. From 1969 until 2007 he worked at theMax Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics in Heidelberg
Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics
The Max-Planck-Institut für Kernphysik is aresearch institute in Heidelberg, Germany.The institute is one of the 80 institutes of the Max-Planck-Gesellschaft , an independent, non-profit research organization. The Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physics has been founded in 1958 under the...
, originally studying heavy ion reactions. He received his habilitation
Habilitation
Habilitation is the highest academic qualification a scholar can achieve by his or her own pursuit in several European and Asian countries. Earned after obtaining a research doctorate, such as a PhD, habilitation requires the candidate to write a professorial thesis based on independent...
in Hamburg in 1971 and in Heidelberg
two years later. Since 1980 he is professor at the University of Heidelberg.
Important work
Klapdor-Kleingrothaus works on nuclear astrophysics and on the study of weak interaction in nuclear physics, in particular on double beta decayDouble beta decay
Double beta decay is a radioactive decay process where a nucleus releases two beta rays as a single process.In double-beta decay, two neutrons in the nucleus are converted to protons, and two electrons and two electron antineutrinos are emitted...
. He proposed and was subsequently spokesperson of the Heidelberg-Moscow experiment, which ran from 1990 until 2003 in the Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso
Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso
Laboratori Nazionali del Gran Sasso is a particle physics laboratory of the INFN, situated near the Gran Sasso mountain in Italy, between the towns of L'Aquila and Teramo, about 120 km from Rome. In addition to a surface portion of the laboratory, there are extensive underground facilities...
, near Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
. This experiment is currently the most sensitive double beta decay experiment.
A sub-group of the Heidelberg-Moscow experiment claimed first evidence for neutrinoless double beta decay.
The full data showed a significance of 6.4 standard deviations.
This result could be of fundamental importance for particle physics. If confirmed it would indicate (total) lepton number
Lepton number
In particle physics, the lepton number is the number of leptons minus the number of antileptons.In equation form,so all leptons have assigned a value of +1, antileptons −1, and non-leptonic particles 0...
violation, and provide
evidence that the neutrino
Neutrino
A neutrino is an electrically neutral, weakly interacting elementary subatomic particle with a half-integer spin, chirality and a disputed but small non-zero mass. It is able to pass through ordinary matter almost unaffected...
is a Majorana particle
Majorana fermion
In physics, a Majorana fermion is a fermion which is its own anti-particle. The term is used in opposition to Dirac fermion, which describes particles that differ from their antiparticles...
.
A half-life of 2.2 1025 years was found for the decay of
Germanium-76.
The result was criticized by some authors
. The authors
responded to these criticisms in several articles
. The discussion was also reported in the media. The result is meanwhile supported by independent analysis
. A recent summary of the status of the Heidelberg-Moscow-experiment can be also found in.
Klapdor-Kleingrothaus also led the HDMS-experiment (Heidelberg Dark Matter Search) to search for dark matter in the Gran Sasso Underground Laboratory from 1999. He was spokesperson of the GENIUS
Genius
Genius is something or someone embodying exceptional intellectual ability, creativity, or originality, typically to a degree that is associated with the achievement of unprecedented insight....
experiment which searches for dark matter and neutrinoless double beta decay.
A prototype of this experiment was conducted from 2003 to 2006 at the Gran Sasso Underground Laboratory.
He also held several patents on reactor technology as well as one on particle detectors.
International collaboration
Among others, Klapdor-Kleingrothaus stayed at the Los Alamos National LaboratoryLos Alamos National Laboratory
Los Alamos National Laboratory is a United States Department of Energy national laboratory, managed and operated by Los Alamos National Security , located in Los Alamos, New Mexico...
and the Brookhaven National Laboratory
Brookhaven National Laboratory
Brookhaven National Laboratory , is a United States national laboratory located in Upton, New York on Long Island, and was formally established in 1947 at the site of Camp Upton, a former U.S. Army base...
. Furthermore he had numerous visits and collaborations with the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research (JINR)
Joint Institute for Nuclear Research
The Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, JINR , in Dubna, Moscow Oblast , Russia, is an international research centre for nuclear sciences, with 5500 staff members, 1200 researchers including 1000 Ph.D.s from eighteen member states The Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, JINR , in Dubna, Moscow...
in Dubna
Dubna
Dubna is a town in Moscow Oblast, Russia. It has a status of naukograd , being home to the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research, an international nuclear physics research centre and one of the largest scientific foundations in the country. It is also home to MKB Raduga, a defence aerospace company...
, Russia, and naturally with the Kurchatov Institute
Kurchatov Institute
The Kurchatov Institute is Russia's leading research and development institution in the field of nuclear energy. In the Soviet Union it was known as I. V. Kurchatov Institute of Atomic Energy , abbreviated KIAE . It is named after Igor Kurchatov....
in Moscow. He was visiting professor at Osaka, Tokyo and Kyoto, Japan - 1988 as guest of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
Japan Society for the Promotion of Science
The is an independent administrative institution in Japan, established for the purpose of contributing to the advancement of science in all fields of the natural and social sciences and the humanities.-History:...
, and at Kyoto 1991 as guest professor at the Yukawa Institute
Yukawa Institute for Theoretical Physics
The is a research institute in the field of theoretical physics, attached to Kyoto University in Japan. It was inaugurated in 1952.While the center is often referred to as "YITP", this can be confusing as YITP also stands for the C. N...
for Fundamental Physics. In 1997 he was again at Osaka by invitation of the Center of Excellence of the Japanese Ministry of Technology.
Prizes
In 1982 Klapdor-Kleingrothaus received the Physics Prize of the German Physical Society together with Wolfgang Hillebrandt. In 1994 he became a member of the New York Academy of SciencesNew York Academy of Sciences
The New York Academy of Sciences is the third oldest scientific society in the United States. An independent, non-profit organization with more than members in 140 countries, the Academy’s mission is to advance understanding of science and technology...
. 1998 and 2005, respectively, he received a physics prize of the JINR in Dubna, Russia for work on
"Physics Beyond Standard Model in rare Processes and in Cosmology" and "Looking for SUSY Dark Matter", respectively.
Conferences
Klapdor-Kleingrothaus has organized numerous conferences. The first WEIN conference (Weak and Electromagnetic Interactions in Nuclei), he organized on the occasion of the 600th anniversary of the foundation of the University of Heidelberg in 1986. Follow-up conferences were in Montreal, Dubna, Osaka and Santa Fe. In 1996 he started the Dark Matter in Astro-and Particle Physics Conferences (DARK conferences) in Heidelberg, and organized the following conferences in Cape Town, Sydney and Christchurch. For physics beyond the standard model, a further series of conferences was begun: the Beyond the Desert Conferences, in 1997, 1999 and 2003 in Castle Ringberg, Bavaria, in 2002 in Oulu, Finland, and in 2010 in Cape Town, South Africa.Publications
He has about 360 scientific publications, 30 books and 6000 citations, according to SPIRESStanford Physics Information Retrieval System
The Stanford Physics Information Retrieval System was originally developed at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center in 1969, from a design based on a 1967 information study of physicists at SLAC. The system was designed as a physics database management system to deal with high-energy-physics...
.