Postdoc: Probing electron-photon correlations using CL spectroscopy

AcademicTransfer; Netherlands; On-site; EUR 36,000 - 49,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Housing assistance

Visa support

Job summary

AMOLF's Photonic Materials group invites applications for a Researcher profile Recognised Researcher (R2) to work on cathodoluminescence and quantum optics within the NXTGEN Hightech programme. The project spans high-throughput CL, multi-beam CL, and correlative electron–photon measurements, hosted with TU Delft, DELMIC and Technolution.

The role involves developing fast detectors, testbenches that emulate beam arrays, and experimental studies of electron–photon correlations and entanglement.

Qualifications

• PhD in physics, optics, materials science or engineering.
• Experience with optical instrumentation, fast detectors, photon‑correlation or coincidence measurements, optical simulation, or data acquisition and analysis is advantageous.

Responsibilities

• Identify what limits CL imaging speed in a high-throughput single-beam CL system and optimize it with fast detectors and smart scanning strategies.
• Design and test how to collect and detect CL from many beamlets using an optical testbench and a multi-beam microscope prototype.
• Combine CL with single-electron counting to access photon statistics and emission dynamics.
• Explore electron–photon entanglement using quantum eraser concepts to probe coherence in electron–light–matter scattering.

Skills

PhD in physics

Optics/Photonics

Data acquisition

Electron microscopy

Education

PhD in physics, optics, materials science or engineering

Tools

Fast detectors

Photon-correlation equipment

Optical simulation tools

Data acquisition systems

Job description

Organisation/Company AMOLF Research Field Physics » Optics Physics » Quantum mechanics Researcher Profile Recognised Researcher (R2) Application Deadline 26 Apr 2027 - 15:01 (UTC) Country Netherlands Type of Contract Temporary Job Status Not Applicable Hours Per Week 40.0 Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme? Not funded by a EU programme Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure? No

Offer Description

Work Activities

Cathodoluminescence (CL), the light emitted when a fast electron interacts with a material, is a powerful probe of optical and electronic properties at the nanoscale. Each emission event is a quantum-mechanical electron-photon interaction, and the correlations between the electron and the emitted photons carry information that conventional CL does not use. This project is part of the NXTGEN Hightech programme of the Dutch National Growth Fund, with TU Delft, DELMIC, Amsterdam Scientific Instruments, and Technolution. We push CL in two directions: towards high throughput in a multi-beam electron microscope for compound semiconductor metrology (GaN, SiC, GaAs), and towards fundamental studies of electron-photon correlations and entanglement.

You will work on:

• High-throughput CL with a single beam: identify what limits the imaging speed of a CL system (scanning, detector response, signal level, data volume) and optimize it using fast detectors such as multi-pixel photon and electron counters (TimePic), smart scanning strategies and data reduction.
• Multi-beam CL: design and test how to collect and detect CL from many electron beamlets at once, from "ensemble CL" to flag and localise defects towards imaging of individual beamlets. You will build an optical testbench that emulates an array of electron beams and develop a prototype with DELMIC that is tested in the multi-beam microscope at TU Delft.
• Correlative measurements: you will combine CL with single-electron counting, detecting each emitted photon in coincidence with the electron that excited it, to access photon statistics, emission dynamics and electron-photon correlations.
• Electron-photon entanglement: you will investigate whether the electron and photon emitted in the same event are entangled, using the laterally coherent fraction of the electron beam to excite emitters coherently. By erasing the which-path information in the scattering geometry (a quantum eraser) you will test whether interference of the emission is observed, giving insight into the coherence of electron-light-matter scattering.

Qualifications

We invite applications from highly motivated candidates with a PhD in physics, optics, materials science or engineering, and a keen interest in cathodoluminescence, electron microscopy, quantum optics and instrument development. Experience with optical instrumentation, fast detectors, photon-correlation or coincidence measurements, optical simulation, or data acquisition and analysis is an advantage. We especially encourage individuals from underrepresented groups to apply.

Work environment

The Photonic Materials group ( www.erbium.nl ), led by Prof. Albert Polman, studies light-matter interactions at the nanoscale. The group pioneered cathodoluminescence spectroscopy as a nanophotonics probe, and its CL setup was the prototype for the SPARC system commercialised by DELMIC. The group is an international team of PhD students, postdocs and master students that work in a collaborative atmosphere with many social group activities. Every week we hold a group meeting and departmental colloquium and poster sessions. We also regularly organise an international group labtour.

In this project you will collaborate closely with TU Delft, DELMIC and Technolution, with biweekly virtual meetings, quarterly workshops and an annual event with external partners from industry. We offer a highly collaborative and supportive environment, fostering strong connections both within the group and with our national and international partners.

AMOLF is a part of NWO-I and initiates and performs leading fundamental research on the physics of complex forms of matter, and to create new functional materials, in partnership with academia and industry. The institute is located at Amsterdam Science Park and currently employs about 140 researchers and 80 support employees. www.amolf.nl

Working conditions

• The working atmosphere at the institute is largely determined by young, enthusiastic, mostly foreign employees. Communication is informal and runs through short lines of communication.
• The position is intended as full-time (40 hours / week, 12 months / year) appointment in the service of the Netherlands Foundation of Scientific Research Institutes (NWO-I) for the duration of three years
• AMOLF assists any new foreign Postdoc with housing and visa applications and compensates their transport costs and furnishing expenses.

More information?

For further information about the position, please contact Albert Polman: [e-mail]

Diversity code

AMOLF is highly committed to an inclusive and diverse work environment: we want to develop talent and creativity by bringing together people from different backgrounds and cultures. We recruit and select on the basis of competencies and talents. We strongly encourage anyone with the right qualifications to apply for the vacancy, regardless of age, gender, origin, sexual orientation or physical ability.

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