Internship Project
Chemistry

Atmospherically Relevant Nanoparticles

Institution
Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
Department for Chemistry
Subject Area
Molecular Clusters
Availability
05 May – 25 July
19 May – 08 August
02 June – 22 August
16 June – 05 September
 
Internship Modality:
On-site internship in Berlin

Applications for 2025 are open from November 11 to December 20, 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
  • Data visualization
Academic Level
Advanced undergraduate students (from second year) 
Master's students 
Ph.D. students 
Requirements
Computer skills (knowledge in, e.g., Matlab or Mathematica).
Expected Preparation
Selected interns are expected to contact the supervisor for literature prior to the visit.
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For more information on the Humboldt Internship Program or the project, please contact the program coordinator.