Description du sujet de thèse

This PhD project (funded by Aix-Marseille Université) aims to build an experimental platform at the frontier of quantum and plasma physics [1]. We will cool a sample of Calcium atoms at milli-Kelvin temperatures in a magneto-optical trap and then photo-ionize it to create an ultra-cold plasma.

The project aims to:
• demonstrate for the first time the control of the initial plasma distribution, thanks to the optical shaping of the photo-ionization laser pulse [2],
• study transport phenomena in ultra-cold plasmas,
• trap and cool with lasers the ultra-cold plasma [3].

The hired PhD student will contribute to the construction of an experimental platform implementing a analog simulator of a strongly coupled plasma, aiming at controlling all the microscopic parameters in a bottom-up approach and enabling experimental simulation of scenarios such as a collision between two plasmas.

Skills acquired include state-of-the-art laser control techniques, in particular frequency stabilization on an atomic reference and beam shaping using a micro-mirror array, as well as ultra-high vacuum techniques and scientific instrumentation control.

The candidate should have a master's degree in physics, with a good knowledge of quantum physics. Experience in handling optics and lasers will be appreciated.

References:
[1] Ultracold neutral plasmas, T.C. Killian, T. Pattard, T. Pohl, J.M. Rost, Phys. Rep. 449, 77-130 (2007).
[2] Sculpted ultracold neutral plasmas, V.S. Dharodi, M.S. Murillo, Phys. Rev. E 101, 023207 (2020).
[3] Laser cooling of ions in a neutral plasma, T.K. Langin, G.M. Gorman, T.C. Killian, Science 363, 61-64 (2019)

Contexte de travail

The PIIM laboratory brings together physicists and physical chemists who study dilute media - such as gases, plasmas and beams of ions, atoms and/or molecules - and their interactions with matter and light. The PhD student will work within the CIML (Confinement d'Ions et Manipulation Laser) research team, which has extensive expertise in radio-frequency ion trapping and optical frequency metrology.

The CIML team is developing a new line of research into ultra-cold plasmas, which is the subject of this thesis. This project is fully funded for the duration of the PhD, and a post-doctoral researcher will be recruited in January 2026 to work on it.

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

• Ionizing radiation risk,
• Laser risk,
• Screen work.