Welcome to Hao Ma's homepage ~

Hao MA (马豪)

Ph.D, Associate Professor, Principal Investigator
Dept. of Engineering Physics, Tsinghua University
Beijing 100084, China

E-mail: mahao [AT] tsinghua [DOT] edu [DOT] cn

Education Background

2004.09-2009.07 Department of Engineering Physics, Tsinghua University, Ph.D.
2000.09-2004.07 Department of Engineering Physics, Tsinghua University, Bachelor

Academic Experience

2013.12-Now         Associate Professor, Department of Engineering Physics, Tsinghua University
2014.03-2015.03  Visiting Scholar, Max Planck Institute for Physics, Munich, Germany
2011.06-2013.12  Assistant Professor, Department of Engineering Physics, Tsinghua University
2009.07-2011.06  Postdoctoral, Department of Engineering Physics, Tsinghua University

Research Interests

My current research focuses on rare-event physics experiments (eg. dark matter direct detection, neutrino-less double beta decay) and related ultra-low background technologies and their applications. I'm now working on China Dark matter Experiment (CDEX) carried out in China Jinping Underground Laboratory (CJPL) with high purity germanium detectors.

Teaching

•Radiation Protection (Undergradute Core Course from Spring 2013)
•Weak Radiation Measurement (Undergradute Course from Spring 2018)
•Radiological Safety and Measurement (Graduate Course from Fall 2016)
•Radiation and Environment (Graduate Course from Fall 2021)

Group Members

Prospective self-motivated students are encouraged to apply for the PhD program or to involve in frontier underground physics research in our group.

Postdoc
• Wenhan Dai(2024), Shui Mu Tsinghua Scholar, Ph.D from Tsinghua Univ.

Doctoral students
•Jikai Chen(2020), Bachelor from Tsinghua Univ.
•Peng Zhang(2021), Bachelor from Tsinghua Univ.
•Yisen Lan(2022), Bachelor from Tsinghua Univ.
•Jiyao Cui(2023), Bachelor from Tsinghua Univ.
•Yixin Dong(2024), Bachelor from Sichuan Univ.
•Shuyang Wang(2025),Bachelor from Tsinghua Univ.

Undergradute students
•Bing'en Song(2025)

Alumni
•Qingdong Hu (2018.07, Ph.D), Thesis title: Background Research of Tonne-Scale Germanium Detector for Dark Matter Searches
•Yang Chen (2019.07, Master), Thesis title: Study on ICP-MS Measurement Method of Trace ²³²Th in High Purity Copper
•Ze She (2022.07, Ph.D), Thesis title: Direct Detection of Dark Photon with Low Threshold High Purity Germanium Detectors
•Wenhan Dai (2024.07, Ph.D), Thesis title: Pulse Shape Analysis of High Purity Germanium Detector and Direct Detection of Exotic Dark Matter with CDEX Experiment
•Qiyuan Nie (2024.12, Ph.D), Thesis title: Direct Detection Research of Self-Interacting Dark Matter Based on High-Purity Germanium Detectors

Group photos
•Oct. 2023

•Jan. 2024

Selected Publications (Full list @ THURID)

• W.H. Dai, L.P. Jia, H. Ma*, et al, (CDEX Collaboration) Exotic Dark Matter Search with the CDEX-10 Experiment at China's Jinping Underground Laboratory, Phys. Rev. Lett. 129 (2022) 221802. [Abstract]
• W.H. Dai, H. Ma*, Q. Yue, et al, (CDEX Collaboration) Search for neutrinoless double-beta decay of ⁷⁶Ge with a natural broad energy germanium detector, Phys. Rev. D. 106 (2022) 032012. [Abstract]
• Z. She, ..., H. Ma*, et al, (CDEX Collaboration) Direct Detection Constraints on Dark Photons with the CDEX-10 Experiment at the China Jinping Underground Laboratory. Phys. Rev. Lett. 124 (2020), 111301.[Abstract]
• L.T. Yang, ..., H. Ma*, et al, (CDEX Collaboration) Search for Light Weakly-Interacting-Massive-Particle Dark Matter by Annual Modulation Analysis with a Point-Contact Germanium Detector at the China Jinping Underground Laboratory, Phys. Rev. Lett. 123 (2019) 221301.[Abstract]
• Z.Z. Liu, ..., H. Ma*, et al, (CDEX Collaboration) Constraints on Spin-Independent Nucleus Scattering with sub-GeV Weakly Interacting Massive Particle Dark Matter from the CDEX-1B Experiment at the China Jinping Underground Laboratory, Phys. Rev. Lett. 123(2019) 161301.[Abstract]
• H. Jiang, …, H. Ma*, et al, (CDEX Collaboration) Limits on Light Weakly Interacting Massive Particles from the First 102.8 kg x day Data of the CDEX-10 Experiment, Phys. Rev. Lett. 120 (2018) 241301. [Abstract]
• Z. She, Z. Zeng, H. Ma*, et al, Study of cosmogenic activation in copper for rare event search experiments, Eur. Phys. J. C 81 (2021) 1041. [Abstract]
• H. Ma, Z. She, W.H. Zeng, et al, 2021. In-situ gamma-ray background measurements for next generation CDEX experiment in the China Jinping Underground Laboratory. Astroparticle Physics 128, 102560.[Abstract]
• Z. She, H. Ma, W. Zeng, et al, SAGE: a Monte Carlo simulation framework for experiments with germanium detectors, J. Inst. 16 (2021) T09005.[Abstract]
• H. Ma, W. Dai, Z. Zeng, et al, Status and prospect of China Jinping Underground Laboratory, J. Phys.: Conf. Ser. 2156 (2021) 012170. [Abstract]
• H. Ma, Y. Chen, Q. Yue, et al, CDEX Dark Matter Experiment: Status and Prospects. J. Phys.: Conf. Ser. 1342 (2020) 012067.[Abstract]
• W.H. Dai, H. Ma*, Z. Zeng, et al, Virtual segmentation of a small contact HPGe detector: inference of hit positions of single-site events via pulse shape analysis. J. Eur. Phys. J. C 84 (2024) 294.[Abstract]
• P. Zhang, H. Ma*, L. Yang, et al, Machine learning-based discrimination of bulk and surface events of germanium detectors for light dark matter detection, Astroparticle Physics 158 (2024) 102946.[Abstract]
• J. Chen, Z. Zeng, H. Ma*, et al, Background simulation of a low background gamma ray spectrometer with an array of five germanium detectors, Applied Radiation And Isotopes 220 (2025) 111748.[Abstract]
• Q. Nie, W. Dai, H. Ma*, et al, Constraining dark matter models with a light mediator from the CDEX-10 experiment at China Jinping Underground Laboratory, Chinese Physics C 49 (2025) 043002.[Abstract]
• P. Zhang, H. Ma, W. Dai, et al, Measurement of cosmic-ray muon flux at CJPL-II, Astroparticle Physics 172 (2025) 103147.[Abstract]

Awards and Honors

•Young Scientist Award, Chinese Nuclear Society, 2021
•China Top Cited Paper Award, Chinese Physical Society and IOP Publishing, 2020
•Excellent Youth Award, CAS Center for Excellence in Particle Physics, 2020
•Second Prize of Marine Science and Technology, State Oceanic Administration of China, 2013
•Best oral presentation, PICES Seventeenth Annual Meeting, 2008