PhD Student in Laser-Plasma Particle Acceleration

Lunds universitet grundades 1666 och rankas återkommande bland ett av världens 100 främsta lärosäten. Här finns 41 000 studenter och 6 900 medarbetare i Lund, Helsingborg och Malmö. Vi förenas i vår strävan att förstå, förklara och förbättra vår värld och människors villkor.

LTH forms the Faculty of Engineering at Lund University, with approximately 9 000 students. The research carried out at LTH is of a high international standard and we are continuously developing our teaching methods and adapting our courses to current needs.

The Department of Physics is with a staff of about 350 scientists and educators one of the largest departments within Lund University. There are seven research divisions and a number of research centra within the department. The research activities at the department cover a broad spectrum of modern physics. www.fysik.lu.se/english.



Job assignment
The main task for the doctoral student will be to conduct research education which includes work with research but also to master graduate courses.

The main objective is to demonstrate staged laser-plasma acceleration. The secondary objective is to study interactions between ultrashort pulses of electrons and matter. This research project will involve:

- Experiments on laser-plasma electron acceleration in a single stage.
- Development of specialized magnets and diagnostics to handle and refocus the electron beam in a second stage.
- Experimental studies of the interaction between ultrashort pulses of electrons and matter.
- Experimental studies of laser-plasma acceleration in two stages.
- Operation and maintenance of a terawatt laser system.

Most of the work will be performed at the Lund High-Power Laser Facility, but certain experiments may be performed at other facilities, including the MAX IV laboratory.

Entry requirements

A formal requirement for doctoral studies in physics is:

- a university degree on advanced level within a related field, such as a Master's degree in physics or equivalent, or
- substantial advanced course work at the Master level, or comparable, including an independent research project.

Furthermore, the acceptance is based on the estimated ability to accomplish postgraduate studies.

Other requirements:

Good knowledge in spoken and written English is a requirement.

Basis of assessment
Selection to postgraduate studies is based on the expected ability to perform well in the studies. The evaluation of the ability to perform well is based primarily on the results of studies at the basic and advanced levels, in particular:

- Knowledge and skills relevant to postgraduate studies within the research area, such as a broad and thorough preparation in physics. This can be documented by appended documents.
- Estimated ability to work independently and the ability to formulate and solve scientific questions. This ability can be established, for example, based on undergraduate research experiences, a Master's thesis or in a discussion of scientific problems during a possible interview.
- Skills in written and oral communication.
- Other experience relevant to postgraduate studies, such as professional experience.
Other assessment criteria:
We consider good cooperation ability, drive and independent work ability as positive personal attributes.

In the written application, the following criteria will be considered and evaluated:

- Experience in high-power femtosecond lasers.
- Experience in accelerator physics.
- Experience in laser-plasma acceleration studies.

Terms of employment
A PhD position is an employment with the main duty to be engaged in PhD studies according to the study plan. The duration of PhD studies is 4 years full time studies. In addition, those appointed to doctoral student position may be required to work with educational tasks, research and technical/administrative duties at a level of at most 20% of full time. The position is then extended correspondingly, however not longer than corresponding to 5 years full time employment. PhD positions are subject to special regulations. These can be found in the Swedish Higher Education Ordinance (SFS 1993:100, ch. 5, with updates). Only those who are or have been admitted to PhD-studies may be appointed to PhD position.

Application procedure
Applications must contain a covering letter in which applicants describe themselves and their particular research interests. Applications must also include a CV, a copy of the applicant’s Master’s thesis (or a summary text if the thesis is not yet completed), contact details of at least two references, copies of grade certificates, and any other documents that the applicant wishes to refer to.

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