Two PhD student positions in Accelerator physics - Hiring in process/Finished, not possible to apply

The research conducted at the Department of Physics and Astronomy encompasses a wide range of physics topics, distributed over ten divisions. The department is located in the Ångström laboratory and employs nearly 400 people, 125 of whom are doctoral students. It offers a broad physics curriculum to undergraduate and graduate students, participation in nationally and internationally leading projects for researchers, and opportunities for partnership with industry and various outreach activities. Read more at www.physics.uu.se.

The FREIA Laboratory, one of the divisions at the department, works with developing and testing equipment and instruments for particle accelerators. We are currently looking for two doctoral students for new projects at FREIA.

1. One such project is the design of a new particle accelerator facility for the ESS neutrino Super-Beam project (ESSnuSB), including a proton accumulator ring. With this ring a long proton pulse is converted into a very short proton pulse with very high intensity, before it hits a target where a neutrino super-beam is formed. The neutrino beam will be used in studies of the asymmetry between matter and antimatter, and other fundamental aspects of matter. An extension to this project, which we now want to start, is the design of a storage ring called nuSTORM (neutrinos from STORed Muons). Muons will be accumulated in this racetrack-shaped storage ring, where they decay and emit an intense beam of neutrinos, which will be used in the search for sterile neutrinos and for measuring the neutrino cross section at low energy. This is the first time that a nuSTORM facility is designed for low energy muons.
2. Accelerators are used in many basic and applied research areas and need to be continuously developed to achieve higher performance. Strong electromagnetic fields in accelerating cavities are needed to reach high energy and for the accelerators to become as compact as possible. The performance of even the largest accelerator is determined by phenomena on the nanometer scale on the inner surfaces of the accelerating cavities. In our second project, we study these phenomena by testing how certain properties of metals change at different temperatures and under the exposure of strong electromagnetic fields. The results are not only relevant to both normal and superconducting accelerators, but also for other applications, including fusion energy, ion motors and electric vacuum circuit breakers. The project is interdisciplinary and combines accelerator technology with material science and surface technology, and is a part of the FREIA laboratory's collaboration with the CLIC project at CERN.

More information on our website www.physics.uu.se/research/freia-lab/ .

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Duties
The main duties of doctoral students are to devote themselves to their research studies, which includes participating in research projects and third cycle courses. The work duties can also include teaching and other departmental duties (no more than 20%).

1. The first project involves designing a suitable magnetic structure for the storage ring, performing numerical calculations of the movement of the muons along the ring, simulating muon decay and neutrino flux and through this optimizing the design of the ring. In addition, possible injection methods will be studied.
2. The work in the second project includes measurements in the FREIA laboratory with the cryogenic experimental facility, as well as similar experiments at CERN. The development of the theoretical framework for the surface physics at high fields is also a part of the project.

In your application, you are allowed but not obliged to indicate which of the research projects you prefer.

Requirements
To be admitted as a PhD student, the candidate must have completed a master's degree in physics, engineering physics or equivalent. Very good grades from the university education is a merit.

Since the research projects are organized in international collaborations, good collaboration and communication skills are very important. Very good knowledge of English in speech and writing is also a requirement.

A structured approach, initiative, and creativity are essential skills to succeed as a PhD student. Admission is based on an evaluation of the applicant’s capacity to successfully complete the doctoral studies.

Rules governing PhD students are set out in the Higher Education Ordinance chapter 5, §§ 1-7 and in Uppsala University's rules and guidelines.

About the employment
The employment is a temporary position according to the Higher Education Ordinance chapter 5§7. Scope of employment 100 %. Starting date 1 September or as agreed. Placement: Uppsala. Uppsala University has local guidelines for salary placement.

Application
The application should include a letter describing the research interests and past experience, CV, copies of degree certificates and grades, a master thesis (or a draft thereof), and other documents that the applicant wishes to refer to. The applicant is encouraged to include contact details to reference persons and/or letters of recommendation.

For further information about the position, please contact: Maja Olvegård, (maja.olvegard@physics.uu.se) and Marek Jacewicz (marek.jacewicz@physics.uu.se).

Please submit your application by 29 April 2022, UFV-PA 2022/991.

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