*Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Laboratory Analogues of Black Holes in
Photonic Crystal Fibers*
*Location*: School of Physics and Astronomy, University of St. Andrews,
United Kingdom
*Duration*: 2 years, with a possible extension
*Timeline*: Apply by 14 February 2021, start 21 March (with some
flexibility)
*Topic*: quantum optics, nonlinear fiber optics, analogue gravity
*To apply* at: [
www.vacancies.st-andrews.ac.uk]
*Contact*:
fewk@st-andrews.ac.uk
We are now inviting applications for a new experimental postdoctoral position funded by the UK's STFC/EPSRC’s Quantum Technologies for Fundamental Physics (QTFP) programme.
Specifically, we are seeking a postdoctoral researcher who will work on the measurement of oscillations of analogue optical black holes. This system is based on nonlinear fibre optics and tools from quantum optics. The post-holder will work in the state-of-the art quantum optics lab in the School of Physics and Astronomy in St. Andrews, UK (QOSt. Andrews
[
www.st-andrews.ac.uk]).
The fellow will be part of the consortium of leading scientists from seven UK-based research organisations located in St.Andrews, Cambridge, King's College London, Newcastle, Nottingham, University College London and Royal Holloway University London. The role of St. Andrews is about the implementation of "quantum simulators", laboratory systems that can
simulate situations of black hole interactions. Theoretical support is provided from the consortium partner at King's College London.
Solitons in optical fibres efficiently simulate optical black holes by the event horizon [1]. The wave equation in the frame of the pulse follows an effective fluid metric. Once perturbed, analogues and black holes both relax through the emission of characteristic waves, the “fingerprint-like” frequency spectrum which is independent of the initial perturbation. The aim of this position is to measure this frequency experimentally and to find the classical and quantum correlations between soliton (black hole) oscillations and light characteristically radiated by the soliton. This simulator allows to experimentally address and verify ideas based on recent quantum technologies which are not possible to experiment with otherwise. These situations are notoriously impossible to observe directly and often impossible to calculate due to their non-perturbative nature.
The fellow will be part of a new interdisciplinary consortium (qsimfp.org [
qsimfp.org]) uniting the quantum technology and fundamental physics communities.
Informal enquiries about this position are very welcome and should be addressed to Friedrich Koenig (fewk@st-andrews.ac.uk
<fewk@st-andrews.ac.uk>).
[1] T. G. Philbin et al., Fiber-optical analog of the event horizon, SCIENCE 319 1367 (2008).