Optical Terahertz Measurements of Skyrmions

Applicants are invited for a PhD fellowship/scholarship at Graduate School of Technical Sciences, Aarhus University, Denmark, within the Electrical and Computer Engineering programme. The position is available from 1 November 2024 or later. You can submit your application via the link under 'how to apply'.

Title:
Optical Terahertz Measurements of Skyrmions

Research area and project description:
A skyrmion is a vortex-like spin-phenomenon that can be formed in magnetic materials and have proven themselves as promising candidates as bits in the future data storage technology: they are extremely compact i.e. down to about 1 nm, have a low energy consumption (recently reported up to few fJ) and a high stability.

Although much research is already carried out within materials science targeting better control of the skyrmions, only a few methods are available for measuring skyrmions, and those are mostly found in non-ambient conditions within research facilities. Recent theoretical studies have found that skyrmions can oscillate with frequencies in the terahertz (THz) range, and hence interact with THz waves.

This project will be carried out in the group of Terahertz Photonics in Electronics and Photonics Section at the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering. Here, we will take advantage of our in-house facility for THz spectroscopy and microscopy to build a new optical sensor for reading of skyrmions.

The project will concern design of artificial skyrmion samples, development of our existing THz time-domain spectroscopy setup to adapt to the vortex-like nature of skyrmions, and characterization of the skyrmionic samples. The successful candidate will be a part of an international research team specialized within THz measurements of material properties.

Project description. For technical reasons, you must upload a project description. Please simply copy the project description above and upload it as a PDF in the application.

Qualifications and specific competences:
Applicants must have a relevant Master’s degree (120 ECTS) or at least one year of a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Physics, or another closely related field, and have:

• a specialization within optics or photonics and preferably also have knowledge of terahertz technology. Knowledge about spintronics or magnetic devices will be a plus.
• hands-on experience with lasers and preferably ultrafast lasers.
• knowledge of light-matter interactions such as in semiconductors.
• ability to apply theoretical models and develop numerical models to data.
• knowledge of Matlab, Python or similar scientific programming languages.
• ability to work independently and take charge on a project.
• ability to collaborate and work in a team.
• good communication skills.
  

Place of employment and place of work:
The place of employment is Aarhus University, and the place of work is Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Finlandsgade 22, 8200 Aarhus N., Denmark.

Contacts:
Applicants seeking further information are invited to contact:

• Pernille Klarskov Pedersen, [email protected] (main supervisor)
• Sonal Shreya, [email protected] (co-supervisor)

How to apply:
Please follow this link to submit your application.

Application deadline is 15 August 2024 at 23:59 CEST

Preferred starting date is 1 November 2024

For information about application requirements and mandatory attachments, please see our application guide.

Please note:

• Only documents received prior to the application deadline will be evaluated. Thus, documents sent after deadline will not be taken into account.
• The programme committee may request further information or invite the applicant to attend an interview.
• Shortlisting will be used, which means that the evaluation committee only will evaluate the most relevant applications.

Aarhus University’s ambition is to be an attractive and inspiring workplace for all and to foster a culture in which each individual has opportunities to thrive, achieve and develop. We view equality and diversity as assets, and we welcome all applicants. All interested candidates are encouraged to apply, regardless of their personal background. Salary and terms of employment are in accordance with applicable collective agreement.