The PhD candidate will enroll the project “Structured attosecond pulses for ultrafast nanoscience” at the Laser Applications and Photonics Research group (ALF-USAL) at University of Salamanca (https://laser.usal.es/alf/en/home/). The candidate will find a dynamic and international working environment, and will enrol in the theoretical group. ALF-USAL is an interdisciplinary Optics research group with expertise in both theory (strong-field physics, nonlinear optics, ultrafast phenomena, attosecond science) and experiments (ultrashort pulse characterization, pulse shaping, photonic crystals, ultrashort micro-machining). The candidate will explore the generation and ultrashort structured pulses and their application in ultrafast magnetism, an emerging field that is opening exciting scenarios in laser-matter interaction at the most fundamental level, merging the fields of Optics and Magnetism.

Some of the recent results have been published in high impact factor scientific journals:

– “Generation of extreme-ultraviolet beams with time-varying orbital angular momentum”, L. Rego, K. M. Dorney, N. J. Brooks, Q. Nguyen, C-T. Liao, J. San Román, D. E. Couch, Allison Liu, E. Pisanty, M. Lewenstein, L. Plaja, H. C. Kapteyn, M. M. Murnane, C. Hernández-García, Science 364, eaaw9486 (2019). Highlighted in the media:

• Physicists discover croissant-shaped twists of light. National Geographic (USA)
• Twisted light gains angular momentum through ‘self-torque’. PhysicsWorld (UK)
• Descubierta una nueva propiedad de la luz. El País (Spain)
• Físicos españoles descubren una nueva propiedad de la luz. El Mundo (Spain)

– “Controlling the polarization and vortex charge of attosecond high-harmonic beams via simultaneous spin-orbit momentum conservation”, K. M. Dorney, L. Rego, N. Brooks, J. San Román, C-T. Liao, J. L. Ellis, D. Zusin, C. Gentry, Q. Nguyen, J. M. Shaw, A. Picón, L. Plaja, H. C. Kapteyn, M. M. Murnane, C. Hernández-García, Nature Photonics 13, 123–130 (2019).

– “Ultraintense femtosecond magnetic nanoprobes induced by azimuthally polarized laser beams”, M. Blanco, F. Cambronero, M. T. Flores-Arias, E. Conejero Jarque, L. Plaja, C. Hernández-García, ACS Photonics 6, 38–42 (2019)

The candidate will explore the application of ultrashort structured pulses in ultrafast magnetism, an emerging field that is opening exciting scenarios in laser-matter interaction at the most fundamental level, merging the fields of Optics and Magnetism. 

• Development of theoretical methods to describe the generation of femtosecond and attosecond structured laser pulses, using state-of-the-art high-performance computing techniques.
• Theoretical studies of the manipulation of magnetic properties, using structured laser pulses at the femtosecond and attosecond timescales.
• Exploration of theoretical models for the non-paraxial description of structured attosecond beams, and their interaction with single atoms and solid systems.

• University degree in Physics.
• Master program, Physics-related.
• Advanced level of English: higher than B2 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages or equivalent.
• Candidates should be able to demonstrate a promising track record of achievements appropriate to their career stage.

• Type of contract:
  • PhD contract.
  • Limited to 3,5 years, until the end of the project. Contract to be renewed annually.
  • Full-time employee (37,5 hours a week)
• Economic compensation:
  • Gross salary of:
    • 1.300 €/month (14 salaries), during the first and second years.
    • 1.384 €/month (14 salaries), during the third year.
    • 1.702 €/month (14 salaries), during the fourth year.
  • Research Project:
    • ATTOSTRUCTURA, “Structured attosecond pulses for ultrafast nanoscience”, funded by the European Research Council (ERC)
  • Workplace:
    • Laser Applications and Photonics Research group (ALF-USAL) at University of Salamanca (https://laser.usal.es/alf/en/home/), Spain.
  • Estimated starting date: January 2022.