Prospective PhD students are invited to apply for a PhD position within the project “Quantum dynamics of impurities with long-range impurity-bath interactions”.

This research project aims at developing novel theoretical tools for studying the out-of-equilibrium dynamics of atomic impurities in degenerate quantum gases with long-range impurity-bath interactions. In particular, two experimentally relevant impurity-bath systems will be considered: trapped ions in an ultracold atomic gas and impurities in a dipolar Fermi sea. Quantum optical master equations and diagrammatic techniques will be combined in order to develop new and effective methods for understanding such open many-body quantum systems. This project seeks to address two key scientific questions, namely: the nature of the short- and long-time dynamics of the impurity’s internal and motional degrees of freedom, as well as the prospect of using bath-induced interactions between impurities for the generation of pairing and entanglement. Whilst the proposed project is theoretical in nature, close collaboration with experimentalists is foreseen.

The successful candidate will be based at the Center for Optical Quantum Technologies of the University of Hamburg (Germany), working under the supervision of Dr. Antonio Negretti. During the PhD, the candidate will be expected to visit and collaborate with the group of Prof. Georg Bruun at Aarhus University (Denmark). Although it is not a prerequisite, some prior knowledge of either master equations or diagrammatic methods would be an advantage. Good communication skills (e.g.: written and spoken English) are also expected.

For further information, as well as for the submission of applications (please include your CV, a list of attended courses during your physics studies with the corresponding grades and your master’s thesis), please send an e-mail to Dr. Antonio Negretti (anegrett@physnet.uni-hamburg.de)