This March, the Institut de Física d’Altes Energies (IFAE) is hosting a hands-on workshop where students from diverse fields will build a muon detector and delve into the fascinating world of cosmic rays. The workshop is led by IFAE researchers Laia Cardiel, Juan Jiménez, Arnau Villalobos, and Oscar Blanch and takes place at the OpenLabs facilities within the Faculty of Engineering at the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona (UAB).

Thanks to the state-of-the-art fabrication and experimentation space provided by OpenLabs , participants can design, assemble, and test the detector using specialized tools and cutting-edge technology.

The workshop offers students the unique opportunity to construct a muon detector using plastic scintillators and silicon photomultipliers. Under the guidance of IFAE researchers, participants will explore the fundamentals of particle detection, learning how to capture the particles of interest while filtering out unwanted signals. Throughout the process, they will gain hands-on experience in light detection, material properties, and readout electronics.

This initiative is part of a collaboration with artist Blanca Pujals within the framework of “A Synthetic Universe” , an artistic project developed during her GRAPPA artistic residency. The project is supported by various institutions, including the CCCB and Hangar.