Adaptive Optics Engineer for High-Energy Laser Systems

Xcimer Energy; Denver (CO); On-site; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

401(k) with company match

Paid time off

Job summary

Xcimer Energy, headquartered in Denver, CO, seeks an Electro-Optical / Adaptive Optics Engineer to develop wave-optics propagation models, tune control algorithms, and align AO hardware on a high-energy laser system.

You will collaborate with optical, mechanical, controls, and software engineers to design AO components and integrate them into the laser system to improve beam quality, stability, and performance for inertial fusion energy.

Qualifications

• Education: BS in optical science/engineering, physics, or related field.
• Experience: 5+ years in optical science/engineering, with 3+ years in adaptive optics.
• Experience with wavefront sensors and deformable mirrors in AO systems.
• Experience with high-fidelity wave-optics propagation.
• Hands-on optical subsystem integration and alignment.
• Experience across multidisciplinary engineering fields.
• Proficiency in MATLAB, Python, or C/C++/C#.
• US citizenship or permanent resident or eligible to work in the U.S.

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement optimization routines for the adaptive optics control loop, and characterize their performance against measured data.
• Design and implement algorithms for spatial beam shaping using phase plates and adaptive optics.
• Align, calibrate, and operate adaptive optics hardware on a high-energy laser system, including deformable mirrors, wavefront sensors, and supporting diagnostics.
• Build auto-alignment methods and routines to make beamline setup repeatable and fast.
• Characterize the optical environment — aberration sources, thermal drift, vibration and jitter, beam path turbulence — and translate what you find into adaptive optics requirements.
• Leverage and improve wave-optics propagation code to model the laser systems, in close collaboration with the Xcimer Theory and Computation team, and anchor those models against measurements so predictions can be trusted.
• Contribute to wavefront error budgets and tolerance analyses spanning system to component level.
• Collaborate closely with vendors to develop and drive the next generation of AO platforms for Xcimer’s needs, with a focus on deformable mirrors and wavefront sensors.
• Work with control system engineers to integrate AO within the larger laser control system, helping define required controls, interlocks, and operator feedback/UI.
• Write and maintain the test plans, alignment procedures, and calibration records that let others reproduce your results.
• Maintain contamination-control discipline appropriate to deep-UV, high-fluence optics

Skills

Adaptive optics systems

Wavefront sensors

Deformable mirrors

Python

MATLAB

C/C++

Beam shaping

Control systems

LabVIEW

Education

BS in optical science/engineering

MS/PhD in optical engineering

Tools

LabVIEW

FPGA-based control

Job description

Xcimer Energy, headquartered in Denver, CO, seeks an Electro-Optical / Adaptive Optics Engineer to develop wave-optics propagation models, tune control algorithms, and align AO hardware on a high-energy laser system.

You will collaborate with optical, mechanical, controls, and software engineers to design AO components and integrate them into the laser system to improve beam quality, stability, and performance for inertial fusion energy.