Description du sujet de thèse

The emergence of inorganic elpasolite crystals containing chlorine, which are sensitive to both neutrons and gamma radiation, could form the basis for the next generation of neutron and gamma spectrometers, for application in nuclear physics experiment. The neutron-gamma discrimination capability of these materials, through pulse shape analysis, is well established, but their efficiency and energy resolution are still not well investigated.
The doctoral project aims to study various chlorine-containing elpasolite crystals (CLYC, TLYC, CLLBC, etc.). The interest will be to examine the scintillators response to neutrons of different energies through simulations and measurements, with spontaneous neutron sources (fission, AmBe) or accelerator driven (LiCORNe@ALTO), with the ultimate goal of building a demonstrator for a nuclear physics experiment.
A second part of the work aims to produce realistic simulations of the demonstrator using multi-physics libraries (Geant4) to establish a detector response function. These simulations will be compared with measurements to better understand the detector's operation and limitations.
Research work from the PhD candidate will be published in intertionnal peer-reviewed. Obtained results will be presented in national and international conferences as well as at dedicted workshops.
Bibliographical references
A. Gottardo et al. NIM A 1041 167332 (2022)
G. Hull et al., Nucl. Inst. and Meth. A, Vol. 925, pp. 70-75 (2019)
R. Hawrami et al., IEEE Trans. Nucl. Sci., Vol. 63 Is. 6, pp. 2838-2841 (2016)

Contexte de travail

The Irène Joliot-Curie Physics Laboratory of 2 Infinities (IJCLab) is a UMR under the supervision of the CNRS (IN2P3), the University of Paris-Saclay and the University of Paris is located on the campus of the University of Paris -Saclay in Orsay. The laboratory is located on the campus of the Université Paris-Sud, Université Paris-Saclay in Orsay. The campus is located 20 km south of Paris and easily accessible by RER in 35 minutes.
IJCLab was born in 2020 from the merger of five units (CSNSM, IMNC, IPN, LAL, LPT). The staff is made up of nearly 560 permanent (340 engineers, technicians and administrators and 220 researchers and teacher-researchers) and approximately 200 non-permanent including 120 doctoral students. The research themes of the laboratory are nuclear physics, high energy physics, theoretical physics, astroparticles, astrophysics and cosmology, particle accelerators, energy and the environment and health. IJCLab has very significant technical capacities (around 280 IT) in all the major fields required to design, develop / implement the experimental devices necessary for its scientific activity, as well as the design, development and use of instruments.
The PhD candidate will be under the supervision of G. Hull and C. Delafosse in the Detector of Particles and Associated instrumentation department of the Engeneering pole of IJCLab.
The supervision, monitoring, and training arrangements follow the guidelines of the PHENIICS doctoral school. The progress of the research is monitored internally by the supervisors and the thesis monitoring committee. Additionally, PhD students at IJCLab are supported by a Thesis Support Committee (CAT), which assists both the students and their supervisors throughout the three years of the thesis through regular interactions and discussions.
IJCLab bases its recruitment policy on the promotion of equality, diversity and inclusion. Essential values, they allow the professional development of agents, who are real actors in a collective success, but also the development of the laboratory itself.

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

The PhD student will work in the presence of ionizing radiation (source, accelerator), and must therefore be classified in category B with respect to exposure to ionizing radiation. A large part of the work will be carried out on a computer.
Travel within France and abroad is to be expected.

The candidate must hold an engineering degree and/or a Master's degree in physics recognized by the PHENIICS doctoral school. The position requires strong knowledge in nuclear and subnuclear physics instrumentation, high-level academic skills in scientific programming and data analysis, as well as good oral and written communication skills (in French and/or English) for presenting at conferences and writing articles for scientific journals.
We are looking for a young researcher who is committed to their project, curious, able to work independently, and highly motivated to develop skills in instrumentation physics. In addition, the candidate must be capable of working in a team on multidisciplinary projects.
Applications must include a detailed CV; at least one reference (a person who may be contacted); a one-page motivation letter; and transcripts from the second year of the Master's program or engineering school.
As IJCLab is subjected to ZRR (Zone à Régime Restrictif) military regulation, hiring choices must be approved by the Haut Fonctionnaire Securité Défense (HFSD). Therefore, the date of employment written above should be understood as provisional, and may need to be delayed.