Missions

The successful candidate will join the correlated cold matter group of the Aimé Cotton Laboratory. He/she will contribute to fundamental measurement activities, and in particular to the preparation of dense, cold samples of atoms and molecules. The group works on a wide range of systems, including the barium monofluoride (BaF) molecule and the hydrogen atom. The main mission will be to build a decelerator using the original methods we had proposed theoretically, such as transient ionization (2015) or the Zeeman-Sisyphus combination (2014). This will pave the way for universal deceleration of atomic or molecular species.

Activités

- Play an active role in the development of the future deceleration research program by implementing the proposed ideas.
- Act as a link between the research team and the engineers and technicians responsible for producing the mechanical parts required for the project.
- Develop your own research program by designing, proposing and implementing methods for diagnosing deceleration and possibly trapping decelerated particles.

Compétences

- PhD in experimental physics
- The person should ideally have good skills in both instrumentation and data analysis/physics aspects.
- Good experience in atomic and/or molecular physics
- English level B2 (or higher), supported by a track record of scientific papers
- Autonomy and supervisory skills will be appreciated.

Contexte de travail

Cooling atoms or molecules to sub-Kelvin temperatures is crucial to advances in fields such as quantum chemistry and precision measurements. However, the complex structural properties of molecules, or the far-ultraviolet transitions of some atoms, make efficient cooling difficult. The group aims to use cold molecules, in particular BaF, and atoms, in particular H, for precision measurement protocols that test the standard model, requiring a cold, slow and intense beam; but existing deceleration methods are proving difficult for heavier molecules like BaF due to their high kinetic energy, or for light atoms like hydrogen, due to the absence of accessible optical transitions.

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

No special constraints or risks