We are looking for an highly motivated postdoc to work on a novel experiment with quantum fluids of light: the creation of synthetic photonic matter by engineering a quantum phase transition for light.
Photons are great carriers of information but they usually don’t interact with one another. Atoms interact but are hard to manipulate and do not benefit from the toolbox of quantum optics for detecting quantum fluctuations and entanglement.
Many approaches have been proposed to marry these two systems for quantum simulation of condensed matter with strongly interacting photons, but to date, the realization of large-scale synthetic materials made of optical photons is still missing.
In this project, we will use the fluid of light approach to investigate the superfluid to Mott insulator transition for light propagating in a dense cold atomic cloud.
At the fundamental level, a Mott insulator state of light allows for exploring truly quantum effects such as the emergence of analogue of phase transition in non-equilibrium systems, the presence of quantum depletion and pre-thermal states and the entanglement dynamics in many-body systems.
On the applied side, a photonic Mott insulator is a giant source of single photons (or any Fock state) with potentiallyseveral hundreds of lattice sites delivering tunable photon number-states in parallel.
As a postdoc you will lead the construction of a new experimental apparatus for observing a quantum phase transition of light with the support of highly qualified PhD students. In parallel, you will be involved in the current activities of the team (Bose-bose mixture, 1D quantum fluid of light, quantum turbulence…)
We are looking for highly motivated candidate with an expertise in cold atoms, atomic physics and/or quantum optics. An experience in building a cold atoms setup is a plus. The offer is for 2 years with 2 years extension possible during the entire duration of the ERC Consolidator project.
We strongly encourage women to apply and we do our best to create a secure and welcoming environnement for women in science. Our group is currently composed of 4 men and 4 women.