Scientist / Researcher (all genders) for the Development ofHHG-based XUV and X-Ray Sources Part[...]

The Helmholtz Institute Jena (HI Jena) is a joint institution of the Friedrich-Schiller-Universität Jena and the GSI Helmholtz Centre for Heavy Ion Research GmbH in Darmstadt. The institute is mainly focused on applied and fundamental research at the borderline of high-power lasers and particle accelerators.

For a doctoral position in the Laser Particle Acceleration group of the institute, we are looking for a

Scientist / Researcher (all genders) for the Development of
HHG-based XUV and X-Ray Sources
Part-time 65%

Posting ID: 25.53-4232

Your tasks

Are you interested in doing a PhD using the strongest laser fields and learning about high power lasers and the extreme states of matter that such a laser can produce? In this case this PhD position at German government research institute is for you.

Relativistic plasmas are an extreme state of matter that can be created and studied using the 2018 Nobel Prize winning “CPA” laser technology. The light pressure in the focal spot of such a high-power laser system amounts to a few billion bars with associated extreme electric and magnetic fields. These relativistic plasmas are used to produce new categories of intense X-Ray, electron and ion beams.

A key concept is the relativistic mirror effect, originally proposed by Einstein. Such relativistic mirrors can be produced using intense lasers and emit high multiples of the laser frequency in the X-ray and extreme Ultraviolet Regime – so called Higher harmonic generation (HHG).

Our group is internationally leading in relativistic mirror and HHG science^1-5 and uses some of the most powerful lasers to develop this new class of XUV/X-Ray beams. We are looking for an outstanding Ph.D. candidate to strengthen our experimental team.

We are looking for candidates with

• a completed university degree in physics,
• a high degree of passion and motivation,
• experimental experience, ideally in the field of lasers, plasmas or optics in general,
• programming skills,
• and who possess excellent communication skills in English and German.

We offer

the opportunity to work with an international team of scientists on cutting edge research in a German national laboratory, with ideal conditions regarding equipment and support via technicians.

The position is a fixed-term 3-year contract embedded in Germany’s largest research foundation, with the salary and benefits based on the Collective Agreement for the German Public Service (TVöD-Bund) effective at GSI. The position will be established in Jena.

GSI promotes the professional development of women and expressly welcomes applications from women. Handicapped persons will be preferentially considered when equally qualified.

Grading depending on qualification is possible up to EG13.

Kontakt

Information about the Helmholtz Institute Jena, FAIR and GSI is available at www.hi-jena.de, www.gsi.de and www.fair-center.eu.

For any questions please contact Prof. Dr. Matt Zepf (M.Zepf@hi-jena.gsi.de, Phone:+493641947-616) and Dr. Peter Hilz (P.Hilz@hi-jena.gsi.de, Phone:+493641947-617).

If you find this position interesting, please submit your full application documents, including your desired salary, your earliest possible starting date and the posting ID 25.53-4232 by 24.06.2025 at the latest via the online portal on our job site

Online-Bewerbungsportal

GSI Helmholtzzentrum für Schwerionenforschung GmbH
Abteilung Personal
Planckstrasse 1
64291 Darmstadt

¹Yeung, M. et al.: Experimental observation of attosecond control over relativistic electron bunches with two-colour fields. Nat. Photon. 11(1), 32 (2017)

²Dromey, B. et al.: High harmonic generation in the relativistic limit. Nat. Phys. 2(7), 456 (2006)

³Norreys, P.A. et al.: Efficient extreme UV harmonics generated from picosecond laser pulse interactions with solid targets. Phys. Rev. Lett. 76(11), 1832 (1996)

⁴Rödel, C. et al.: Harmonic generation from relativistic plasma surfaces in ultrasteep plasma density gradients. Phys. Rev. Lett. 109(12), 125002 (2012)

⁵Zhang, Y.X. et al.: Giant isolated attosecond pulses from two-color laser-plasma interactions, Phys. Rev. Lett. 124(11), 114802 (2020)