PhD in Angle-Resolved PhotoEmission Spectroscopy on topological quantum materials (1.0 FTE)

QuMat

QuMat (qumat.org) - Materials for the Quantum Age - is a Dutch research program under the gravity initiative. QuMat is a collaboration between researchers in Utrecht, Delft, Groningen, Amsterdam, Nijmegen, Eindhoven, and Twente. With a budget of 27 million EUR, QuMat will hire 30 PhD students and postdocs in the years 2022-2023 and another 30 PhD students and postdocs in the years 2027-2028.

QuMat will design, fabricate and characterize low-dimensional materials with electronic, magnetic or even more complex coherent quantum states. QuMat will further demonstrate materials featuring coherent transport up to room temperature and scalable, affordable materials that host robust qubit states. These materials can open the window to more efficient classic computing and upscaling of quantum computing.

University of Groningen
Since its foundation in 1614, the University of Groningen has established an international reputation as a dynamic and innovative university offering high-quality teaching and research. With its 36,000 students and Nobel Prize winning researchers, the University of Groningen ranks among the top universities globally. It is situated in Groningen, the vibrant capital of the northern Netherlands.

We offer this position in the stimulating, diverse, international research environment of the Zernike Institute for Advanced Materials - a world-class academic institute with a multi-disciplinary research programme that encourages close collaborations between theoretical and experimental groups with different areas of expertise.

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our University. We are committed to building a diverse faculty and student body, so you are encouraged to apply if you are a member of an underrepresented group.

University of Amsterdam
The University of Amsterdam is the Netherlands' largest university, offering the widest range of academic programmes. At the UvA, 30,000 students, 6,000 staff members and 3,000 PhD candidates study and work in a diverse range of fields, connected by a culture of curiosity.

The Faculty of Science has a student body of around 8,000, as well as 1,800 members of staff working in education, research or support services. Researchers and students at the Faculty of Science are fascinated by every aspect of how the world works, be it elementary particles, the birth of the universe or the functioning of the brain.

The Institute of Physics (IoP) of the University of Amsterdam is located in the center of the Amsterdam Science Park. The IoP – as part of the Faculty of Science –is housed in a modern building with excellent labs and technical facilities. Surrounded by several national research institutes and with our partners at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, the institute is part of a strong physics center of top international standing.

The Van der Waals - Zeeman Institute for Experimental Physics (IoP-WZI) is part of the IoP and home to three research clusters: Quantum Gases & Quantum Information (QG&QI), Quantum Materials (QMat), and Soft Matter (SM).
We are looking for an enthusiastic PhD candidate for our research on topological bulk quantum materials within the national Dutch consortium “Materials for the Quantum Age” (QuMat.org).

The aim of the PhD project is to experimentally determine the electronic structure and topological properties of quantum materials, and their changes in topology as a function of their crystal structure and composition. Materials will be studied using high-resolution angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES), as well as spin- and time-resolved ARPES. Prior experience with experimental research, (ultra-high) vacuum, ARPES and materials science is desirable. If you are interested in joining the team, or have any questions, please contact Antonija Grubišic-Cabo, Assistant Professor, [email protected] , Anna Isaeva, Assistant Professor or Prof. Mark Golden, [email protected]

Your PhD project is hosted jointly by the University of Groningen (RUG) and University of Amsterdam (UvA), and if successful will result in a joint doctorate from both universities. As part of our collaborative effort, you will experimentally study the electronic structure of bulk quantum materials using time- and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES and TR-ARPES).

Materials such as graphene and topological insulators, exhibit novel quantum properties and emergent phenomena at a macroscopic scale at ambient conditions, and possess special electronic band structures in both the bulk and at their surface, which offer exciting prospects for the development of future quantum technologies. Their exotic properties are governed by material properties, such as the periodic crystal structure and atomic arrangement, spin-orbit coupling and long-range magnetic order.

ARPES is a powerful technique that can be used to directly measure the electronic structure of materials in reciprocal space, and time-resolved ARPES (TR-ARPES) can even track changes in the electronic band structure upon excitation of the material with light. The QuMat consortium develops hybrid electronic, magnetic and superconducting topological materials with tailored performance, and your project will contribute essential information about their topologically protected quantum states. This outcome will be integrated into the continuous materials-properties-devices development cycle with other QuMat projects, in which materials of interest will be supplied by the partners and their choices and further optimization will be guided by the outcome of your project.

You will have the following main tasks:

? conduct and evaluate the (time- and) angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy studies of the electronic properties of topological quantum materials. These experiments will take place at the high-resolution laser-ARPES lab in the UvA, at international synchrotron radiation sources and the TR-ARPES lab in the RUG
? assist the development and installment of the TR-ARPES setup, participate in its maintenance
? connect the electronic structure signatures you measure and analyze to material properties such as atomic structure and elemental composition
? develop and implement sample preparation techniques for successful ARPES experiments on various materials (e.g. bulk layered, 3D bulk, exfoliated flakes, thin films)
? act as ARPES contact person for the other PhD students and members of the QuMat consortium, being actively engaged in the interdisciplinary discussions ongoing in QuMat
? present your results to the international community in peer-reviewed publications and at (summer/winter) schools, workshops and conferences.

With your background in physics, and affinity for quantum materials science, you are the ideal fit to help elevate our research to the next level. The project offers you a high-level and diverse training in many aspects of modern quantum condensed matter and materials physics and will include, besides the photoemission measurements and data analysis, also sample preparation techniques and collaborations within the QuMat consortium with the materials growers, theoreticians and device makers.

This position is shared 50:50 between the University of Groningen (RUG) and the University of Amsterdam (UvA). As a member of both the “Surfaces & Thin Films” group at the Zernike Institute (RUG), and the Quantum Materials Cluster at the van der Waals - Zeeman Institute (UvA) you will work in an interdisciplinary and international research environment with local colleagues and international collaborators working in the fields of physics, nanoscience, material science and chemistry. The PhD position will last for 4 years; the starting date is foreseen as 1 March 2023.

? a European Master’s degree (or equivalent) in physics or related fields
? highly motivated and able to work in a multidisciplinary and international work environment
? excellent communication skills in both oral and written English
? nice to have: experience in at least one of the following areas: experimental physics, ARPES, synchrotron-based techniques, ultra-high vacuum
? desired skills or strong interest to learn them: topological matter, materials science
? previous practical experience in research is desirable.

We offer you in accordance with the Collective Labour Agreement for Dutch Universities:

• depending on level of education and experience of the candidate, the University of Groningen offers a salary between € 2,541 and € 3,247 gross per month (scale P according to the collective labour agreements of the Dutch Universities), for a full-time position (1.0 FTE)
• excluding 8% holiday allowance and 8.3% end-of-year bonus over the gross yearly income
• a temporary position of one year with the option of renewal for another three years. Prolongation of the contract is contingent on sufficient progress in the first year to indicate that a successful completion of the PhD thesis within the next three years is to be expected.