Missions

The candidate will participate in the development of the core of the transportable Ytterbium optical atomic clock at LTE (Laboratoire Temps-Espace), Observatoire de Paris. This clock will be connected to the REFIMEVE network (optic fibre links network disseminating an ultrastable carrier at 1542 nm), to enable remote frequency comparisons to the ~12 European stationary optical clocks. Thanks to the sensitivity of atomic clocks to local gravitational potential, these measurements will make it possible, among other things, to map the Earth's potential with unprecedented resolution.

Activités

The candidate will be responsible for configuring the existing vacuum system to optimise a combination of optical molasses (399 nm), 2D/3D magneto-optical traps (399 nm/556 nm) and optical lattice (759 nm) to trap neutral ytterbium atoms at very high rates. The trapping of atoms in this “magic” optical lattice will be developed to enable the strong confinment ('Lamb-Dicke') regime. He/she will design a time sequence to capture more than 1e4 atoms in less than 100 ms, while reaching longitudinal temperatures of the order of 1 µK. Finally, he/she will supervise the programming aspects to manage this sequence reliably and remotely.

Compétences

The candidate must have a PhD in experimental atomic physics. A strong interest in experimental work is required, as well as skills in ultra-high vacuum systems, continuous lasers, electronics and Python programming. Knowledge of ultrastable Fabry-Perot cavities is an advantage.

Contexte de travail

The ytterbium team at LTE (Paris, Observatoire de Paris) is composed of 6 people, and the post-doctoral researcher we are looking for should have good supervisory experience, particularly in managing the projects of the team's PhD students. The candidate will report to the ytterbium project leader.
This new clock will benefit from the expertise accumulated during the development of the laboratory's 3 optical clocks (based on strontium and mercury). A good team spirit and a good knowledge of English are therefore absolutely essential.
The project is funded by the ANR (Agence Nationale pour la Recherche), the CNES (Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales) and the Simone and Cino Del Duca Foundation.
The position is in a sector covered by the Protection of Scientific and Technical Potential (PPST), and therefore requires, in accordance with the regulations, that your arrival be authorised by the competent authority of the MESR.

Le poste se situe dans un secteur relevant de la protection du potentiel scientifique et technique (PPST), et nécessite donc, conformément à la réglementation, que votre arrivée soit autorisée par l'autorité compétente du MESR.

Contraintes et risques

NA