Postdoc Position in Experimental Quantum Physics

Updated: over 1 year ago
Job Type: Temporary
Deadline: 31 Oct 2022

Introduction

Are you a eager to push optical atomic clocks and atom interferometers to new levels in a lively, international research group?

Our Strontium Quantum Gases Group is looking for a postdoc who wants to take part in leading the new Quantum Delta NL (QDNL) Ultracold Quantum Sensing Testbed. This group is headed by Prof. Florian Schreck and is part of the Quantum Gases & Quantum Information (QG&QI) cluster at the Institute of Physics (IoP) of the University of Amsterdam (UvA). We exploit ultracold Sr gases for quantum sensing, the study of many-body physics and for quantum computing. We are collaborating with industry, startups and users to bring optical clocks to the market and explore new ways to build sensors, such as superradiant clocks or atom interferometers based on continuous atom lasers.

What are you going to do?

You are given the opportunity to take a leading role in the establishment and running of the QDNL Ultracold Quantum Sensing Testbed. This testbed focuses on following activities, in close collaboration with all research projects in our group (see www.strontiumBEC.com ).

  • We are building strontium optical lattice clocks that will be used to provide an optical reference frequency to partners across the Netherlands.
  • We are building a time and frequency network that transmits signals through telecom fibres across the Netherlands and has the ambition to ultimately connect to partners across Europe.
  • We are collaborating with partners to make these time and frequency signals useful for, e.g. Sr neutral atom quantum computing (QDNL KAT-1 within our own group and at TU/e), precision spectroscopy for the study of fundamental physics (VU), telecommunication or terrestrial navigation.
  • We are collaborating with industry, startups and ESA to render ultracold atom devices more compact, robust and cheaper. For example we push towards rugged ways of constructing optical systems, e.g. systems based on microbench optics or photonic chips.
  • We are investigating new atom interferometry methods, e.g. based on continuous atom lasers. We are interested in using atom interferometry for inertial navigation.
  • We are exploring a new way of building an optical lattice clock, superradiant clocks, which could lead to more robust clocks.

You are invited to join our team of eight PhDs and postdocs working on ultracold quantum sensing. You are expected to be strongly involved in all activities of our testbed that involve external partners. You are invited to participate in all other activities of the testbed. Together with you, we will determine which topics are the most suitable for you to start on. The maximum duration of this position is four years and during that time you can get involved in several of our topics or even start new activities aligned with the mission of the testbed. For this position it is not required to teach, but if you are interested in advancing your teaching skills teaching opportunities can be arranged. Similarly, you are supported if you want to apply for your own funding for research in our group or your own research at another institution after you finish your employment at UvA.

Tasks and responsibilities:

  • conducting research in ultracold quantum sensing, resulting in academic publications in peer-reviewed international journals;
  • actively contributing to and developing national and international research and industry partnerships and other forms of cooperation. This includes helping to organise tenders for sub-projects that are taken up by industry partners;
  • representing the Quantum Delta NL Ultracold Quantum Sensing Testbed and our group at workshops, conferences, research schools, etc.;
  • contributing to outreach activities of the Testbed and our group;
  • supervising Bachelor, Master students and co-supervising PhD students;
  • supporting Florian Schreck in pursuing external funding for research;
  • helping with reporting duties for the Testbed and research grants associated with the Testbed (e.g. writing of EU deliverable reports).


Similar Positions