Colloquium – Friederike Bock
Friederike Boch, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
A New Era of Electron-Ion Collider Physics- The ePIC detector and its forward hadronic calorimeter
This talk introduces the Electron-ion Collider (EIC) project, embodied by the ePIC detector, which will provide unprecedented high-luminosity collisions of polarized electrons with polarized protons/ions to address fundamental questions in Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD), such as the spatial distribution of quarks and gluons. A key component for ePIC’s physics program is the *Longitudinally Segmented Forward Hadronic Calorimeter (LFHCal)*, essential for measuring high-energy jets and high energetic hadrons. This forward region detection is crucial for probing the low-momentum fraction ($x$) structure of the nucleon and potential effects of gluon saturation. The LFHCal’s innovative design is a sampling calorimeter utilizing steel absorbers and *plastic scintillator tiles* read out by Silicon Photomultipliers (SiPMs). The vital longitudinal segmentation allows the LFHCal to capture three dimensional pictures of the hadronic showers, significantly improving energy resolution and particle identification in the dense forward environment. The LFHCal is thus an indispensable instrument for achieving the transformative physics goals of the ePIC experiment.
Bio: Friederike Bock is a Eugene P. Wigner Fellow and heavy ion physicist who specializes in the study of quark-gluon plasma and the development of new detectors to uncover uncharted states of gluonic matter. With a background including a PhD from the University of Heidelberg and a fellowship at CERN, she aims to bridge the gap between complex theoretical models and experimental measurements. Bock is also a dedicated science communicator who uses her passion for drawing to create imaginative illustrations for her research, and in her spare time, she is an accomplished equestrian who competes with her horse, Leon.
January 14, 2026 @ 1:00pm (CST) in Commons Center 237
Host: Rithya Kunnawalkam-Elayavalli