Post-doctorate position: Hydrogen deceleration for its first observation of the Gravitational Quantum States

29 Feb 2024
Job Information

Organisation/Company

CNRS - Laboratoire Aimé Cotton

Research Field

Physics

Researcher Profile

Recognised Researcher (R2)

Country

France

Application Deadline

30 Mar 2024 - 11:16 (Europe/Paris)

Type of Contract

Temporary

Job Status

Full-time

Hours Per Week

39

Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?

Not funded by an EU programme

Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?

No

Offer Description

This project aims to perform the first observation of Gravitational Quantum States on hydrogens in flight. This experiment is part of the international collaboration GRASIAN: GRAvity Spectroscopy and Interferometry with ultra-cold Atoms and Neutrons (https://grasian.eu ). The Gravitational Quantum states [1,2] will be realized inside a narrow region formed by a mirror (high reflective flat surface) on the bottom and a rough scattering surface (called an absorber), placed above the mirror. The vertical confinement of the H beam entering this region is realized by gravity (top confinement) and Quantum Reflexions occurring on the mirror (bottom confinement), leading to the formation of the gravitational quantum states. This experiment is currently being under development at ETH Zurich (Switzerland), in the group of P. Crivelli, member of GRASIAN and group leader of the exotic matter group at the Institute for Particle Physics and Astrophysics and at the Stefen Meyer Institute (SMI) at Vienna, Austria, in the group of Eberhard Widmann. The generation of slow hydrogen atoms is crucial for the experiment, and this postdoc position offers the opportunity to work on developing a Zeeman decelerator, in collaboration with one of our collaborator’s lab in Ile de France: Laboratoire Aimé Cotton (LAC), to slow down a cryogenic hydrogen beam as well as to take part of the measurement campaigns planned in 2024-2025 that will be happened at our collaborator’s lab at the Stefen Meyer Institute of Vienna, Austria.

Requirements

Research Field

Physics

Education Level

PhD or equivalent

Skills/Qualifications

The candidate should have a Ph.D in applied physics, optics or a related discipline. A fluent knowledge of English is a pre-requisite (some notion in French will be also of use). The successful candidate will be highly motivated, creative, with demonstrated abilities to work in a collaborative environment. An experimental background in optical and mechanical conception software (as Solidwork or Catia or equivalent.) is preferred. Atomic physics and spectroscopy knowledge is also an advantage.

Specific Requirements

The main activities of this position will consists of take in charges:

- In Paris :  the main mission of this postdoc will be first to work on the simulations to design the best Zeeman decelerator type (“comoving type of trap” [3] or Sisyphus type [4]). Then the second time will be to proceed to the first trials using a cryogenic hydrogen source available at LAC (Orsay, 91) with the group of D. Comparat. After the missions at SMI : data analysis and writing article.

- Missions in situ at the SMI lab, Vienna, Austria :

+ First measurements on the GQS states using the same cryogenic source of hydrogen atoms then the one at LAC. Optimisation of the background rest atomic hydrogen gas by adjusting the differential pumping stages and the collimating slits.

Languages

ENGLISH

Level

Good

Research Field

Physics

Years of Research Experience

4 - 10

Additional Information
Benefits

Expected Salary: 2963.51 €gross per month (indice majoré 537).

Selection process

Contact person: Interested candidates are invited to apply, by email with a CV, reference and a cover letters, to Pauline Yzombard: [email protected]

Additional comments

 

References of interest:

[1] V.V. Nesvizhevsky et al,Quantum states of neutrons in the Earth's gravitational field, Nature 415 (2002) 297,

[2]  V.V. Nesvizhevsky et al, Study of the neutron quantum states in the gravity field, Europ. Phys. J. C 40 (2005) 479

[3] T Damjanovic et al.  , A traveling wave Zeeman decelerator J. Phys.: Conf. Ser. 1412 122014 (2020)

[4] D. Comparat, Molecular cooling via Sisyphus processes, Phys. Rev. A 89, 043410 (2014)

Work Location(s)

Number of offers available

1

Company/Institute

Laboratoire Aimé Cotton (CNRS)

Country

France

State/Province

ile-de-France

City

Orsay

Postal Code

91405

Street

bat 505, Campus d'Orsay

Geofield

Number of offers available

1

Company/Institute

Laboratoire Kastler Brossel | LKB

Country

France

City

Paris

Postal Code

75252 Paris cedex 05

Street

4 place Jussieu

Geofield

Where to apply

E-mail

[email protected]

Contact

State/Province

ile-de-France

City

Paris

Website

http://www.lac.u-psud.fr/?lang=en
https://www.lkb.upmc.fr/metrologysimplesystems/

Street

LKB, Sorbonne Université, Tour 13/23, 2e étage, 4 place Jussieu

Postal Code

75252

E-Mail

[email protected]
[email protected]

Phone

+33169352055

STATUS: EXPIRED