Internship Project
Chemistry

Atmospherically Relevant Nanoparticles

Institution
Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
Department for Chemistry
Subject Area
Molecular Clusters
Availability
06 May – 26 July
20 May – 09 August
03 June – 23 August

Internship Modality:
On-site internship in Berlin

The application is closed, and all positions have been filled.
Applications for 2025 will open in October 2024.
Project Supervisor(s)
Dr. Wolfgang Christen
Academic Level
Advanced undergraduate students (from second year) 
Master's students 
Ph.D. students 
Language
English
Further Information
Project Type
Academic Research
Project Content
The formation and composition of clouds are a high priority for an improved understanding of atmospheric processes. In our experiments, we generate condensation nuclei (clusters) of atmospherically relevant atoms or molecules by the supersonic expansion of a gas into an ultrahigh vacuum. 
By variation of the experimental parameters, we can change the particle size over many orders of magnitude, from one up to approximately one million molecules per particle, corresponding to nanoparticles of up to 20 nm in diameter. In this project, we characterize the particle size using Rayleigh scattering. 
The task will be to measure the particle size as a function of the experimental conditions for an improved understanding of the condensation process.
Tasks for Interns
  • Data acquisition 
  • Data evaluation
Academic Level
Advanced undergraduate students (from second year) 
Master's students 
Ph.D. students 
Requirements
Computer skills (knowledge in, e.g., Matlab or Mathematica).
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For more information on the Humboldt Internship Program or the project, please contact the program coordinator.