PhD Position: Towards the Measurement of Plasmon-Mediated Entanglement Between Relativistic Electrons and Photons (M/F)

Job Description

Thesis Subject

Quantum coherence lies at the heart of phenomena such as entanglement and Rabi oscillations, which have no classical counterpart. Recent advances in free-electron nanophysics and quantum nano-optics now provide unprecedented opportunities to explore these effects at the nanoscale.
A fundamental question nevertheless remains unanswered: can a relativistic free electron become entangled with a photon? The objective of this PhD project is to address this question by developing a new generation of electron–photon correlation experiments.
The candidate will use a scanning transmission electron microscope to investigate specially designed chiral plasmonic nanostructures. Recent work from our group has shown that such structures emit circularly polarized photons and generate electrons carrying well-defined orbital angular momentum, opening a pathway toward the creation of entangled electron–photon states.
The PhD project will focus on developing and implementing time-resolved electron–photon correlation measurements aimed at demonstrating this entanglement and testing the corresponding Bell inequalities. Conducted within the framework of the ERC Advanced Grant FreeQCC, the project will leverage a unique combination of electron microscopy, custom-designed nanostructures, and state-of-the-art detectors at the interface of quantum physics, nano-optics, and advanced instrumentation.

Your Work Environment

The Laboratoire de Physique des Solides (LPS, UMR 8502) is a joint research unit of Université Paris-Saclay and the French National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS). It is affiliated with the CNRS Institute of Physics and is a member of the Friedel–Jacquinot Federation, which coordinates physics research on the Moulon campus in Orsay, near Paris.

LPS brings together around one hundred researchers and faculty members, both experimentalists and theorists, supported by approximately sixty engineers, technicians, and administrative staff. Each year, the laboratory hosts numerous undergraduate and graduate students, including many PhD candidates, as well as postdoctoral researchers and visiting scientists.

Despite its name, the laboratory covers a broad spectrum of condensed matter physics. Its research is organized around three main themes:

* Novel electronic states of matter;
* Physical phenomena at reduced dimensions;
* Soft matter and physics–biology interfaces.

The first theme encompasses both experimental and theoretical studies of systems with strong electronic correlations, giving rise to remarkable phenomena such as superconductivity, magnetism, and metal–insulator transitions. The second focuses on nanoscience, investigating the fundamental properties of materials and devices when their dimensions become comparable to characteristic physical length scales, such as the coherence length or the mean free path. The third extends the concept of soft matter to biological systems, covering topics ranging from polymers, liquid crystals, foams, and granular materials to living tissues, at the interface between physics, chemistry, and biology.

The successful candidate will join the STEM group at the Laboratoire de Physique des Solides (CNRS–UMR 8502). This research project is funded by the **ERC Advanced Grant FreeQCC**.

Compensation and benefits

Compensation

2300 € gross monthly

Annual leave and RTT

44 jours

Remote Working practice and compensation

Pratique et indemnisation du TT

Transport

Prise en charge à 75% du coût et forfait mobilité durable jusqu’à 300€

About the offer

About the CNRS

The CNRS is a major player in fundamental research on a global scale. The CNRS is the only French organization active in all scientific fields. Its unique position as a multi-specialist allows it to bring together different disciplines to address the most important challenges of the contemporary world, in connection with the actors of change.

CNRS

The research professions