Electron-EDM program approved

Particle physics with cold molecules

We have an opening for

Four PhD student positions and one postdoc position in low-energy precision measurements

With a recently awarded FOM program grant, we are starting an exciting new project to measure the electric dipole moment (EDM) of the electron. This property, which is predicted by the Standard Model of particle physics to be extremely small, is a powerful probe to explore physics beyond this Standard Model. All extensions to the Standard Model, most prominently supersymmetry, naturally predict an electron EDM that is just below the current experimental limits. We aim to improve on the best current measurement by at least an order of magnitude. To do so we will perform a precision measurement on a slow beam of laser-cooled BaF molecules. With this low-energy precision experiment, we test physics at energies comparable to those of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC)!

The eEDM program research staff consists of Anastasia Borschevsky, Klaus Jungmann, Steven Hoekstra, Rob Timmermans and Lorenz Willmann from the Van Swinderen Institute for Particle Physics and Gravity (VSI) at the University of Groningen, and Rick Bethlem and Wim Ubachs from the Atoms, molecules and lasers group at the Vrije Universiteit (VU) in Amsterdam. The experiment will be operated at the VSI in Groningen. To start this team effort we currently invite applications for the first round of PhD and postdoc positions.

The positions

PhD1 - Cryogenic source and guide. Your main main task will be to design, construct and test a high-intensity cryogenic source of BaF molecules. Furthermore, you will develop a lens system that guides the BaF molecules from the exit of the cryogenic source to the entrance of a decelerator. In addition, you will perform test studies for a lens system for a BaF fountain. Location: VU Amsterdam.

PhD2 - Deceleration. You will oversee the characterisation, optimisation and electronics upgrade of the traveling-wave decelerator, to create a very intense and slow beam of BaF molecules. Location: VSI Groningen.

Postdoc – Cold Molecules. You will be working in a team with several PhD students and scientific staff, on a range of topics related the preparation of cold molecular beams for precision measurements within this eEDM project. Ideally you have a background in the creation of cryogenic beams, molecule deceleration or precision spectroscopy. Location: VSI Groningen.

PhD3 - Molecular properties. This theory project will focus on investigations of molecular properties in the context of search for electron EDM.  Highly accurate relativistic computational methods will be used and new theoretical developments and software implementations will be carried out where necessary. Location: VSI Groningen.

PhD4 - Interaction zone. Your main task will be to design and characterize the electron-EDM measurement zone, consisting of state preparation regions, electric field electrodes, and a state detection region. You will simulate, design and implement the magnetic shielding of this interaction zone. Location: VSI Groningen.

Requirements

For the experimental positions, we are looking for candidates with an (almost) completed Msc degree in atomic, molecular and optical physics, or a closely related field. The ideal candidates have a strong interest in experimental physics and particle physics. For position PhD3, candidates with prior experience in computational methods in theoretical chemistry or physics (and/or in programming) would have a strong advantage. The candidates should be enthusiastic about research, capable of learning new skills, and happy working both independently and in collaboration with other scientists.

The candidates are expected to start no later than April 2017.

Offer

These PhD positions are offered for 4 years, the postdoc position is for 2 years. The candidates will be employed by the NWO-I-foundation (formerly known as FOM) and are based at the VSI in Groningen or the VU in Amsterdam. You will receive a competitive salary. The conditions of employment are excellent and include extra months' salary payment in May and December and good travel facilities. The conditions of employment of the NWO-I foundation can be found at www.fom.nl. The educational program of the Dutch research school for subatomic physics offers annual graduate schools for PhD students, as well as frequent series of lectures on advanced topics in particle physics.

Nikhef

With this eEDM program a new research line of low-energy precision experiments is added to the scientific portfolio of Nikhef. Nikhef is the national institute for subatomic physics in The Netherlands. At Nikhef, approximately 175 physicists and 75 technical staff members work together in an open and international scientific environment. Together, they perform theoretical and experimental research in the fields of particle- and astroparticle physics. Among the research collaborations Nikhef participates in are the ATLAS, LHCb and ALICE experiments at CERN, the KM3NeT neutrino telescope in the Mediterranean, the VIRGO interferometer in Pisa, the Xenon1T dark matter experiment in Gran Sasso and the Pierre Auger cosmic rays observatory in Argentina. Nikhef also hosts well-staffed theoretical physics and detector R&D groups. Nikhef itself is a collaboration between 5 major Dutch universities and the Dutch Foundation for Fundamental Research on Matter (FOM).

Information and Application

All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply through the following website:

https://www.nikhef.nl/en/vacancies/

Please be prepared to upload a curriculum vitae including a brief description of your research interests, and have the email addresses of at least two referents ready, who are willing to send a letter of recommendation on your behalf. Further details on the individual positions can be obtained from h.l.bethlem vu.nl (PhD1), s.hoekstra rug.nl (PhD2 and postdoc), a.borschevsky rug.nl (PhD3), and k.h.k.j.jungmann rug.nl (PhD4). More information can also be found on the following websites: https://www.nikhef.nl/en/programs/eedm/

The deadline for a first round of applications is 15/01/2017.