PhD in Optical Information Processing Near Phase Transitions

FOM Institute AMOLF; Amsterdam; Hybrid; EUR 26,000 - 32,000; Full time

Job summary

AMOLF, located at Amsterdam Science Park, invites applications for a PhD student to explore harnessing phase transitions for optical information processing. The project combines experiments on nonlinear optical cavities with theoretical modelling and data analysis. The successful candidate will work across AMOLF and Utrecht University, contributing to teaching and engaging in nanofabrication when needed.

We value MSc in physics/photonics, lab experience, and interest in nonlinear dynamics.

Qualifications

• You have an MSc degree in physics, optics, photonics, nanoscience, or a related field.
• Laboratory experience in optics or photonics is preferable but not strictly necessary.
• A background in, or strong interest in, one or more of the following areas is valued: nonlinear dynamics, condensed-matter physics, and stochastic processes.
• The ideal candidate is an experimentalist who enjoys not only setting up and performing complex experiments, but also thinking deeply about the results and modelling them.
• Applicants are not expected to bring expertise in all listed areas; the required methods will be learned during the project.

Responsibilities

• The main objective is to quantify this trade-off between energy consumption, speed and accuracy in information processing near a phase transition, and to determine how it depends on properties of the signal such as amplitude and bandwidth.
• Next, controlled time-dependent signals and benchmark optical information-processing operations will be used to compare performance at different distances from the phase transition.
• Experiments will be combined with theoretical modelling, statistical data analysis, and numerical simulations to identify the governing mechanisms and to determine whether and how proximity to a phase transition offers an advantage for processing certain signals.
• The project is primarily experimental and will involve optical cavity measurements, materials characterization and, where needed, nanofabrication.
• Its expected outcome is an experimentally tested framework for designing photonic information-processing systems that exploit phase-transition physics.

Skills

Optics

Photonics

Nonlinear dynamics

Experimentalist

Stochastic processes

Condensed-matter physics

Education

MSc in physics/optics/photonics/nanoscience

Job description

AMOLF, located at Amsterdam Science Park, invites applications for a PhD student to explore harnessing phase transitions for optical information processing. The project combines experiments on nonlinear optical cavities with theoretical modelling and data analysis. The successful candidate will work across AMOLF and Utrecht University, contributing to teaching and engaging in nanofabrication when needed.

We value MSc in physics/photonics, lab experience, and interest in nonlinear dynamics.