PhD in Magneto-Photonic nano-engineering for topological quests

Motivation and embedding

Silicon forms the basis of the current information society, instrumental in increasing human welfare. However, there is a never-ending demand for more powerful computing. A national excellence program 'Materials for the quantum age' (QuMat) aims to provide proto-type materials with stable coherent quantum states, exploit topological protection and explore hybrid light-matter interfaces. These will enable classic computing to become more powerful and more energy efficient, while allowing to upscale quantum computing.

Within this program, our research group will address topological quests at the boundary between magnetic nanostructures and ultrafast optical control down to femtosecond time scales.

Your project will be carried out in the group Physics of Nanostructures at the department of Applied Physics at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e), in close collaboration with colleagues in Groningen, Delft and Utrecht.

Your project

Your research will start with addressing the quest of understanding and exploiting topological magnons. These chiral spin waves have been proposed for two-dimensional magnetic materials with a specific symmetry, where they would emerge along the circumference of the structure, propagating in a direction protected by the topology of the material. Your initial aim will be to explore this phenomenon not in atomic but in artificial 2D lattices, so called magnonic crystals, consisting of sub-micro meter magnetic thin film islands. Guided by simple modeling, you will design the structures, deposit the multilayered films and participate in the nanopatterning. You will exploit pulsed laser techniques to excite and probe the topological excitations. A fascinating option is to control the magnetic orientation of individual magnetic elements in the large area using switching by single femtosecond laser pulses, thus exploring outstanding quests in the field of topological magnetism.

In the second phase of the project, you will get ample of opportunities to further deepen this research, or contribute to other collaborative projects within QuMat. One option is to use your developed skills in magnetic engineering at the nanoscale by generating magnetic textures that could give rise to synthetic spin-orbit coupling, a highly valuable approach for many other projects in our consortium. A second option is to use your skills in ultrafast magneto-optics to team up with researchers working on 2D Van der Waals materials. One of the ultimate dreams in our consortium is exploring those interfaces, on-chip, in a photonic integrated circuit, with a 2D material on top.

We are looking for a talented and highly motivated young researcher who meets the following requirements:

• Hold a recently (<1 year) Master of Science or equivalent degree in experimental physics with a preferred specialization in solid state physics / nanomaterials, and/or light-matter interaction.
• Prior knowledge of thin film deposition and characterization methods especially applied to magnetic materials or photonics is valued.
• Affinity with modelling is appreciated.
• Interested in fundamental physics addressing non-trivial topological effects.
• Motivated to contribute to education in the department up to 5% of the time, as well as supervising bachelor and master projects. If a large teaching drive is present for you, there is a possibility to extend the contract with one year (5yr) where the extra year is focused on educational reform.
• Strong motivation to work in a team, combining excellent organization and communication skills.
• Experience in the preparation of scientific reports, presentations and publications is valued.
• Good proficiency in spoken and written English.