Description of the thesis topic

This thesis will explore material-dependent effects in the response of novel cryogenic quantum sensors in collaboration with Canada's Particle Accelerator Centre, TRIUMF, and their use for medical Auger radiation therapy. The successful candidate will work in an interdisciplinary, international collaboration and grow into a leading role to better understand and further expand the reach of ongoing projects.

The use of cryogenic quantum sensors has ushered in a new era in spectroscopy of low energy radiation. With the BeEST (Beryllium Electron capture in Superconducting Tunnel junctions) experiment, we have pioneered the detection of recoiling nuclei following radioactive decay to search for new physics and even perform fundamental tests of quantum mechanics. Several ongoing effects are primed to take advantage of the newly developed techniques to expand the reach into other domains. In order to do this, this thesis will look at material- and implantation-dependent effects to the detector response and collaborate on a proof-of-principle demonstration of Auger spectroscopy for medical physics.

The successful candidate will
1. Contribute to commissioning and data taking at world-leading particle accelerator complexes such as TRIUMF (Canada) and GANIL (France),
2. Perform analyses on beta-NMR data sets,
3. Contribute to simulations of low-energy radiation deposits in superconducting sensors,
4. Contribute to proof-of-principle studies of Auger spectroscopy in collaboration with TRIUMF.

and have
1. Good knowledge of nuclear and condensed matter physics,
2. Notions of Monte Carlo simulation techniques,
3. Programming skills in python and C++.

and a strong motivation to be involved in interdisciplinary research.

In return, we offer a dynamic and inclusive research group to help students obtain their full potential.

Work Context

The successful candidate will be assigned to the team "Mesure de Précision à Basse-Énergie (MPBE) within the Laboratoire de Physique Corpusculaire de Caen (LPCC - UMR6534).

The LPC CAEN, with about 100 staff, is a joint research unit (UMR6534) depending on three supervisory bodies: the CNRS, the University of Caen Normandy (UNICAEN) and the Ecole Nationale Supérieure d'Ingénieurs de Caen (ENSICAEN). It is located on Campus 2 of the University of Caen Normandy (Campus Côte de Nacre) and is part of the research park of ENSICAEN (www.lpc-caen.in2p3.fr/).

Constraints and risks

Working with ionising radiation,
Frequent travel in France and abroad

Additional Information

PhD contract by CNRS.