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Department Of Physics &Astronomy.
PhDProjects2015.•Astronomyandastrophysics•Biologicalphysics•Inorganicsemiconductors•Particlephysicsandparticleastrophysics•Softmatterphysics
HereinSheffield,weprovideavibrantandfriendlyenvironmentforpostgraduatestudy,offeringyoutheopportunitytocarryoutresearchonthecuttingedgeofphysicsandastronomy.Wehavehighlyactiveresearchgroupsinawiderangeofareas,bothfundamentaltoapplied,andhaveaninternationalreputationforthequalityofourresearch.
WehaveanumberofopportunitiesacrossourfiveresearchareasforresearcherslookingtostarttheirPhDin2015.Onthefollowingpagesyoucanfindoutmoreabouteachoftheseprojectsandgetcontactdetailsforsupervisors.Whenyouhavefoundaprojectyouwanttoapplyfor,youcanapplyforoneoftheseopportunitiesusingtheUniversity’sapplicationformatwww.sheffield.ac.uk/postgraduate/research
Forthelastestpostgraduateresearchopportunitiesgotowww.sheffield.ac.uk/physics/postgraduate-admissions/phd
Forinformationaboutpostgraduatefundinggoto www.sheffield.ac.uk/physics/postgraduate-admissions/funding
Astronomy and astrophysicsForgeneralenquiriescontactProfessorCliveTadhunter:[email protected]
• High-speedastrophysicswithULTRACAMandULTRASPEC
• Clouds,stormsandaurorae
• Theenvironmentsofstarandplanetformation
• SingleorbinaryoriginofWolf-Rayetstars?Whichmodeisdominant
• Howdoyoumakeastarexplode?
• Theclimateofblackholegrowth
• Howgoodisthefar-IRasatracerofstarformationactivityinAGNhostgalaxies?
• StellarkinematicsofAGNhostgalaxies
• TheimpactoftheactivityonthehostgalaxiesofluminousAGN
Biological physicsForgeneralenquiriescontactProfessorJamieHobbs:[email protected]
• Modellingfluidstructureinteractionsduringciliabeating
• Themechanicsofshapechangeinplants
• Modellingforcegenerationinendocytosis
• Modellingmetastasisofbreastcancercells
Inorganic semiconductorsForgeneralenquiriescontactProfessorMauriceSkolnick:[email protected]
• Quantumprecisionmetrologyandimaging
• Resourcecreationformeasurement-basedquantumcomputing
• Photonicswith2Dmaterialsbeyondgraphene
• Magneticresonancestudiesofsemiconductorquantumdotsforquantuminformationapplications
• Semiconductorquantumopticalcircuits
• Theoryofquantummicrocavitypolaritons
Particle physics and particle astrophysicsForgeneralenquiriescontactProfessorNeilSpooner:[email protected]
• InclusivesupersymmetrysearcheswithATLAS
• Searchforsupersymmetricpartnersofthebottomandtopquarks
• PreparationforphysicsatthehighluminosityLHC
• SearchingforsupersymmetricneutralhiggsbosonswiththeATLASExperimentattheCERNLargeHadronCollider
• Experimentaldarkmatter–DRIFTDirectionalProgramme
• SearchfordarkmatterannualmodulationattheSouthPole–DM-ICEProject
• Liquidargondetectorsforneutrinooscillationexperimentsandprotondecay
• Particledetectorsforenergy,medicine,climatechangeandsecurityindustry
• Ionisationcoolingofmuons
• Highpowertargetstudies
• StudyingneutrinooscillationswiththeT2KExperiment
• CO2storagemonitoringusingcosmicrays
• NeutrinooscillationstudiesusingtheLBNEdetector
• NeutrinooscillationmeasurementswithT2K
• Neutrino-nucleusinteractions
• SupernovaneutrinosinTITUSandHyper-K
• GravitationalwavesearcheswithLIGO/GEO600/Virgo
• DarkmattersearchwiththeLZexperiment
• NeutrinooscillationstudyandprotondecaysearchwithLBNE
• Cosmic-raymuonsindifferentapplications
• Detectionofcontrabandexplosivesusingneutronactivation
Soft matter physicsForgeneralenquiriescontactProfessorDavidLidzey:[email protected]
• Usingnanoparticlestocontrolmicrostructureinpolymerblends
• Innovativeelectrolyte-gatedthinfilmtransistors
• Ultrafastsingletexcitonfissionincarotenoids
• Ultrafastspectroscopyofsinglecrystalorganicsemiconductors
• Understandingdegradationmechanismsinpolymerandperovskitesolarcells
• Polaritonphysicsinorganicsemiconductormicrocavities
• Simulationstudiesofliquidcrystalsordering
Astronomy and astrophysicsWeofferbothdepartmentalandScienceandTechnologyFacilitiesCouncil(STFC)fundedstudentships,whichlastforthree-to-fouryears.Fornon-UKstudents,eligibilityregulationscanbefoundontheSTFCwebsite.DepartmentalstudentshipsareparticularlysuitedtoapplicantsresidentintheEuropeanUnion,butnon-EUbasedstudentsmayalsobeconsidered.InterviewingisexpectedtobegininFebruary2015.Candidatesshouldsubmittheirapplicationsassoonaspossible.ForgeneralenquiriescontactProfessorCliveTadhunter:[email protected]
Visitwww.sheffield.ac.uk/physics/research/astrophysicsformoreinformation.
High-speedastrophysicswithULTRACAMandULTRASPECULTRACAMisahigh-speed,triple-beamimagingphotometerbuiltbySheffield/Warwick/UKATCforthestudyofastrophysicsonfasttimescales.ExtremeastrophysicalconditionscanbefoundinourGalacticneighbourhoodbystudyingthecompactremnantsofstars:whitedwarfs,neutronstarsandblackholes.Thedynamicaltimescalesofcompactobjectsrangefromsecondstomilliseconds,whichmeansthatmuchofthevariabilityobservedfromthemoccursonthesetimescales.Existingcommon-userinstrumentationontheworld’smajortelescopesisunabletoobtainhightime-resolutiondata,whichiswhywehavedevelopedULTRACAMandULTRASPEC.TheaimofthisPhDprojectwillbetoexploittheseuniqueinstrumentsonthe4.2mWHT,8.2mVLTand3.5mNTTtostudyphysicsinextremeconditions,suchasaccretionontoblackholes,thestructureofwhitedwarfs,theevolutionofclosebinarystars,andthephysicsofpulsars.
Contact:ProfVikDhillon([email protected])orDrStuartLittlefair([email protected])
Clouds,stormsandauroraeTheoptical/infraredvariabilityoflowmassstarsandbrowndwarfsisstartingtorevealastartlingrangeofbehaviours.Observationsindicatethepresenceofgiantstormsoutsideoursolarsystem,andalsothepresenceofauroramanythousandsoftimesmorepowerfulthanthoseseeninoursolarsystem.Whatisnotyetclearishowcommoneachofthesephenomenaare.Inthisproject,youwillinvestigatewhetherstormsorauroraedominatethevariabilityofbrowndwarfs.
Contact:DrStuartLittlefair([email protected])
TheenvironmentsofstarandplanetformationYoungstarsareoftenfoundinhigh-densityenvironments,thismeansthatencountersbetweenyoungstarscanbecommonandthiswillchangetheirbinarypropertiesandaffectplanet-formingdiscs.APhDwouldinvolveinvestigatingvariouscomputationalandstatisticalaspectsofyoungstarsandtheirenvironments.Theseincludedynamicalandhydrodynamicalsimulationsofstellardynamics,statisticalmeasuresofcomplexdistributions,examiningandinterpretingbothobservational,simulatedand‘fake’data.
Contact:DrSimonGoodwin([email protected])
SingleorbinaryoriginofWolf-Rayetstars?WhichmodeisdominantWolf-RayetstarsaretheevolveddescendantsofmassiveOBstars,revealingtheproductsofHorHeburningattheirsurfaces.Theirhydrogenenvelopesarestrippedawayeitherthroughdensestellarwindsofveryhighmassstarsorviamasstransfertotheinitialsecondarystarinaclosebinary.ThisprojectwillexploittheenvironmentofWolf-RayetstarsintheMilkyWay,MagellanicCloudsandothernearbystarforminggalaxiestoassesswhichofthesemechanismsisdominant.
Contact:ProfPaulCrowther([email protected])
Howdoyoumakeastarexplode?Supernovaearemassiveexplosions,associatedwiththedeathsofcertaintypesofstars.ThephysicalconditionsinvolvedinexplodingastarrepresentsomeofthemostextremeconditionsfoundintheUniverse.WorkingouthowastarexplodesgivesuscrucialinsightintoextremephysicsandtheimportantrolesupernovaeplayintheUniverse.Thegeometriesoftheseeventsserveasakeyindicatoroftheunderlyingexplosion,andthisprojectisconcernedwithobservingtheshapesofthesesupernovaedirectlyandlookingforthetell-talesignsofhowitblewup.
Contact:DrJustynMaund( [email protected])
TheclimateofblackholegrowthUnderstandinghowgalaxiesliketheMilkyWayhaveevolvedtotheirpresentstateistheprimarygoalofextragalactic
astronomyresearch.Amongthemainsourcesofuncertaintyinourunderstandingofgalaxyevolutionishowthesupermassiveblackholes(hereafter,BHs)thatresideattheheartofallgalaxieshaveinfluencedthisprocess.ItisbecomingincreasinglyclearthatamajorhurdleinconstraininganycorrelationsbetweenBHgrowthrateandothergalaxypropertiesisthestochastic,rapidlyvaryingnatureofBHgrowth,whichmasktheunderlyingphysicalconnectionsbetweenBHgrowthandothergalaxyproperties(muchinthesamewaythatday-to-dayvariationsintheweathermasklong-termchangesinEarth’sclimate).Inthisproject,wewilltheapplynewstatisticaltechniquestocombinedatafromthelatestgenerationofcosmologicalsimulationswithobservationaldatafromleadingtelescopestoovercomethesevariationsandrevealthetrueunderlyinglinksbetweenBHgrowthandtheirhostgalaxies.
Contact:DrJamesMullaney( [email protected])
Howgoodisthefar-IRasatracerofstarformationactivityinAGNhostgalaxies?Inordertounderstandthelinksbetweenblackholegrowthandgalaxyevolutionitiscrucialtohavea“clean”indicatorofthestarformationactivityinAGNhostgalaxies.Thethermalfar-infraredcontinuumemissionhasbeenproposedassuchanindicator,howeverrecentworkbytheSheffieldgrouphassuggestedthatasubstantialproportionofthefar-IRcontinuummayradiatedbykpc-scaledustthatisheatedbytheAGNratherthanbyregionsofstarformation.ThisprojectwillusedeepobservationstakenwiththeHST,Spitzer,HerschelandALMAtelescopestodirectlyquantifythecontributionofAGNheateddustatfar-IRwavelengths,andhenceassesswhetherthefar-IRcontinuumistrulyagoodindicatorofstarformationactivityinAGNhostgalaxies.
Contact:ProfCliveTadhunter([email protected])
StellarkinematicsofAGNhostgalaxiesInordertounderstandhowAGNarelinkedtogalaxyevolutionitiscrucialtodeterminethestellarkinematicalpropertiesoftheirhostgalaxies.PreviousattemptstomeasurestellarkinematicsofAGNhostgalaxiesatopticalwavelengthshavebeenhamperedbysubstantialemissionlinecontaminationofprominentstellarabsorptionfeatures.Thisprojectinvolvesusingnear-IRobservationsoftheCObandheads,whichdonotsufferfromsuchcontamination,todetermineaccuratestellarkinematicsforsamplesofpowerfulradiogalaxiesandnarrowlineSeyfert1galaxies.
Contact:ProfCliveTadhunter([email protected])
TheimpactoftheactivityonthehostgalaxiesofluminousAGNThereisincreasingspeculationthatluminousAGNcanaffecttheevolutionoftheirhostgalaxiesbydrivingpowerfuloutflowsthatremovegasfromthecentralregionsofthegalaxiesandhaltfurtherstarformation.However,directobservationalevidenceforsuchoutflowsiscurrentlylacking.Thisprojectwillusehighqualityoptical/IRspectraforcarefullychosensamplesofpowerfulAGNtoquantifythetruesignificanceofAGN-inducedoutflows,providinganimportantinputtogalaxyevolutionmodels.
Contact:ProfCliveTadhunter([email protected])
Biological physicsForgeneralenquiriescontactProfessorJamieHobbs:[email protected]
Visitimagine.group.shef.ac.ukformoreinformation.
ModellingfluidstructureinteractionsduringciliabeatingInthelungs,ciliadrivetheflowofthemucusfilmwhichactstocleartheairwaysofunwantedparticlesandmolecules.Aspartofalargerprojectdevelopingmodelsforrelatingthestructureofthemucusproteinswiththeflowofthemucusfilm,wewilldevelopmodelsforhowthebackandforthmotionoftheciliaresultsinthefluidflowofthemucusfilm,payingparticularattentiontothetypeofflowfieldthatthattheygenerate.WewillusetheLatticeBoltzmannmethodtomodelfluidandtheLatticeSpringmethodtomodelthecilia,withakeyaspectoftheprojectbeingthedevelopmentofmethodsforcouplingthetwotogetherwhilstensuringtheconservationofmomentumandenergy.
Contact:ProfNigelClarke([email protected])
ThemechanicsofshapechangeinplantsUnderstandingbiologyrequiresknowledgeofthephysicalnatureofthecellularconstituentsoflivingorganisms.Plantscontainspecialisedpairsofcellswhichformpores(stomata)whichhavetheabilitytoopenandclosetoallowgasfluxintoandoutoftheleaf.Weareinterestedinunderstandinghowthemechanicalstructureofthecellwallsetsthedynamicpropertiesofthesystem.WearelookingforaPhDstudentwithaninterestinapplyingadvancedAtomicForceMicroscopytechniquestoquantifyingthemechanicsoftheselivingcellsand,usingmathematicalapproaches,developingmodelstolinkthephysicsofthematerialtobiologicalfunction.
Contact:ProfJamieHobbs( [email protected])
ModellingforcegenerationinendocytosisEndocytosisisaprocessinwhichbiologicalcellstakeinnano-sizedparticlesbyengulfingthemwithmembrane.Apieceofmembraneistakeninwardsformingamembranetubetensofnanometerslongwhichthenpinchesoffintoavesicleinsidethecell.Theproteinactinisrequiredforendocytosisbutitsroleisnotyetunderstood.Itisthoughtthatthepolymerisationofactinfilamentsgeneratestheforcesneededtoformthemembranetube.Suchforceswilldependonthegeometryofactin.Theaimofthistheoreticalprojectwillbetopredictwhatactingeometryisnecessarytogeneratetherequiredforces.Wewillcalculatetheforcegeneratedfordifferentgeometricalorganisationsofactinfilaments.Wewillcomparetheforcesgeneratedbyparallelactinfilaments,actinbundles(whereindividualparallelfilamentsareattachedtogether)andbranchedactinnetworks.Wewillalsoconsiderthescissionstageoftheprocesswhenthemembranetubeispinchedoffintoavesicle.Actinisalsoinvolvedatthisstagealongwithotherproteinsbutthemechanismofforcegenerationisunknown.Wewillinvestigatethisbymodellingscission.ThetheoreticalworkwillbedoneincollaborationwiththeexperimentalgroupofProfKathrynAyscoughinthedepartmentofBiomedicalScience.ExperimentsperformedinKathryn’slabwillinformourmodellingandourmodellingwillinformfutureexperiments.
Contact:DrRhodaHawkins([email protected])
ModellingmetastasisofbreastcancercellsSomeprimarytumourcellscanmigrateoutoftheprimarytumourtoadifferentsiteinthebodyleadingtotheformationofsecondarytumours.Advancedbreastcancerisassociatedwithbonemetastases.Cellmigrationisaffectedbythegeometryandmechanicalpropertiesoftheenvironmentacellismovingin.Thisprojectwillbuildonexistingmodelsofcellmigrationmechanisms,applyingthemtothebonemicro-environment.Simplifiedanalyticalmodelswillbeusedincombinationwithcomputationalsimulationstoaddresscomplexgeometries.Theprojectwillbeundertakenincollaborationwithexperimentalgroupsinphysics(JamieHobbs)andoncology(NicolaBrownandIngunnHolen).Thisprojectisexpectedtostartin2016.
Contact:DrRhodaHawkins([email protected])
Inorganic semiconductorsOurhighlyactivegrouphasmorethan20PhDstudentsinvolvedinresearchonavarietyoftopicsintheareaofsemiconductornanostructures.In2015,weareseekingstudentsforthefollowingprojects,withfundingavailableforbothUKandEUcandidates.Atanyparticulartimetheremayalsobeassociatedpostdocpositions.ForgeneralenquiriescontactProfessorMauriceSkolnick:[email protected]
Visitwww.sheffield.ac.uk/physics/research/inorganicformoreinformation.
QuantumprecisionmetrologyandimagingScienceproceedsbyincreasinglyprecisemeasurements,andimagingisamongthemostprominentofmeasurementtechniques.However,weknowthatwecannotmakeourmeasurementsarbitrarilyprecise.Inthistheoreticalphysicsproject,youwillstudythefundamentallimitsoftheprecisionsthatcanbeachievedusingquantummechanics,anddevelopnewtechniquesthatachievethislevelofprecision.Inaddition,wewillstudytheroleofentanglementinquantummetrologyandimaging,andperhapsshedsomelightonthefoundationalquestionsthatstillplaguequantumtheory.Iamlookingforanenthusiasticstudentwithatheoreticalphysicsormathematicsdegreeandagoodfourthyearundergraduate-levelunderstandingofquantummechanics.
Contact:DrPieterKok([email protected])
Resourcecreationformeasurement-basedquantumcomputingComputersbecomefastereveryyear,butthenumberofstepsinagivencalculationremainsthesame.Bycontrast,quantumcomputerscanachieveaspectacularspeedupbyreducingthenumberofstepsinthecomputation,thuspromisingafundamentalchangeincomputinganditsapplications.Onepossiblequantumcomputerdesignisso-calledmeasurement-basedquantumcomputing,inwhichthecomputationproceedsviasuccessivemeasurementsonalargeentangledresourcecalledaclusterstate.Inthistheoreticalphysicsproject,youwillstudyhowtocreatesuchresourcestatesefficientlyandwithaminimalamountofnoiseinavarietyofphysicalsystems.Iamlookingforanenthusiasticstudentwithatheoreticalphysicsormathematicsdegreeandagoodfourthyearundergraduate-levelunderstandingofquantummechanics.
Contact:DrPieterKok([email protected])
Photonicswith2DmaterialsbeyondgrapheneApplicationsareinvitedforaPhDprojectinphotonicswith2Dmaterialsbeyondgraphene.Inthisprojectthestudentwilljoinanenergeticteamof4PhDstudentsand2postdocstoworkonexplorationofopticalpropertiesoflayeredcompoundsandnewdevicecomprisingthesematerials.Theisolationofsingle-atomiclayergraphenehasledtoasurgeofinterestinalargefamilyoflayeredcrystalswithstrongin-planebondsandweak,vanderWaals-like,interlayercoupling.Heterostructuresmadebystackingdifferentatomicallythin2Dcrystalsprovideaplatformforcreatingnewartificialmaterialswithpotentialfordiscoveriesandapplications.InthisPhDprojectyouwillstudy2Dmaterialswithawiderangeoffundamentalproperties,rangingfromsemi-tosuperconductors.YouwillworkonadvancingfabricationtechnologytoexplorethepotentialofvanderWaalsheterostructuresinphotonicsapplications.Youwillperformadvancedopticsexperimentsinthestate-of-the-artlaboratoriesoftheSheffieldgroup,workonnoveldevicefabricationinthemoderncleanroomandcollaboratewithleadinggroupsin2Dphysicsandtechnology.
Contact:ProfAlexanderTartakovskii([email protected])
MagneticresonancestudiesofsemiconductorquantumdotsforquantuminformationapplicationsThisexperimentalprojectfocusesonelectronandnuclearspinphysicsinnanometer-sizedsemiconductorquantumdots.Semiconductorquantumdotsareapromisinghardwarefortheemergingquantuminformationtechnologies:thespinwavefunctionoftheelectroncanbeusedtostoreandprocessquantuminformation.Theinteractionoftheelectronspinwiththespinsofatomicnucleiisamajorchallengeonthisway.Theaimofthisprojectistodevelopastate-of-the-artquantumlogicgatewhereelectronspinisisolatedfromnuclearspinsusingmagneticresonancepulses.Avarietyofexperimentaltechniqueswillbeinvolvedinthiswork:opticalspectroscopyandmicroscopy,radiofrequencyandmicrowavemagneticresonancespectroscopy,lowtemperature(liquidhelium)experimentsandhighmagneticfields.
Contact:DrEvgenyChekhovich([email protected])
SemiconductorquantumopticalcircuitsAsaresultofafiveyearlargegrantaward(findoutmore)fromtheUKfundingagency,EPSRC,severalpositionsare
availableinhighlytopicalareasofsemiconductorphysicsandopticsresearch.Theseincludethephysicsofthefirstsemiconductorquantumopticalcircuits,novelmethodsforspinreadoutandnewtypesofsinglephotonsources.Alltopicshavetheopportunityforadvancedfabricationofnanoscalestructures,andinvolveparticipationinresearchattheleadingedgeofsemiconductorphysicsandphotonics.
Contact:ProfMauriceSkolnick([email protected])
TheoryofquantummicrocavitypolaritonsMicrocavitiesaredielectricstructureswhichtrapelectromagneticfieldsinaverysmallregionofspace.Whenthisfieldismadetointeractwithasemiconductormaterial,theexcitationsofthesystemare‘particles’knownaspolaritons.Polaritonshavemanyinterestingproperties;theyundergoacondensationsimilartoaBEC,whichshowsbehaviouranalogoustoasuperfluid.Inthisproject,weshallbelookingatthequantummechanicalpropertiesofthepolaritoncondensatetoinvestigatewhetheritcanshowinterestingquantumopticalbehavioursuchassqueezing.Althoughtheprojectistheoretical,involvinganalyticalandcomputationalwork,thereisastrongexperimentalpolaritonactivityinthedepartment,providingplentyofopportunitiestocollaborateindevelopingquantumopticaltechnologies.Thisprojectwillsuitaphysicsgraduatewithgoodmathematicalabilitiesandsomebackgroundincomputationalwork.
Contact:ProfDavidWhittaker([email protected])
Particle physics and particle astrophysicsOurexperimentalworkfallsintofourmaincategories:experimentalhighenergyphysics,thesearchfordarkmatter,neutrinoastrophysics,andneutrinophysics,includingneutrinofactoryresearchanddevelopment.ForgeneralenquiriescontactProfessorNeilSpooner:[email protected]
Visitwww.sheffield.ac.uk/physics/research/pppaformoreinformation.
InclusivesupersymmetrysearcheswithATLASThestudentwilldeveloptoolstotestsupersymmetryusingmultijet+missingETdecaysignatures.TheunderstandingofdetectorresponsewillbecrucialatthebeginningofATLASoperationtoseparaterealphysicseffectsfrominstrumentalbackgrounds.Thestudentwillalsoworkontrackingreconstructiontoenhancejetalgorithmsusinganenergyflowapproach.
ContactProfDanTovey([email protected])
SearchforsupersymmetricpartnersofthebottomandtopQuarksThestudentwilldevelopananalysistosearchforsupersymmetricpartnersofthebottom-andtop-quarkswithATLASandwillapplythemtothelatestdatafromtheexperiment.Theprojectwillfocusoneventswheretwob-quarksarereconstructedtogetherwithlargemissingtransversemomentum.ThischanneloffersthebestpossibilityfordiscoveringsbottomandstopsquarksattheLHC,withstopsquarksthemselvesexpectedtobesignificantlylighter,andhencemoreobservable,thanotherstronglyinteractingSUSYparticles.ThisprojectthereforeoffersthestudentthepossibilityofmakingaNobelprizewinningdiscovery!
Contact:DrDavideCostanzo([email protected])
PreparationforphysicsatthehighluminosityLHCTheLargeHadronColliderwillbeupgradedtodeliverupto10timesmoreproton-protoncollisionsthanatpresent.TheATLASexperimentwillalsobeupgradedtofollowthetechnologicalchallengeconnectedwiththehighdensityoffinalstateparticles.ThestudentwillworkonthetestingofthemodulesandsensorsthatwillbedevelopedfortheupgradedATLASinnerdetector(ITK).PartoftheprojectwillalsotostudytheexpectedperformancesoftheITKtopredictwhattheultimatereachforsupersymmetrysearchesattheLHCis.
Contact:DrDavideCostanzo([email protected]),DrTrevorVickey([email protected])
SearchingforsupersymmetricneutralhiggsbosonswiththeATLASexperimentattheCERNLargeHadronColliderIt’spossiblethatthe125GeVHiggsbosondiscoveredbytheATLASandCMSExperimentsisonlyoneofseveralneutrally-chargedHiggsbosonspredictedbytheoriesbeyondtheStandardModel.ThestudentwilldevelopanalysisstrategiestosearchfortheproductionofadditionalneutralHiggsbosons,andthencarryoutthesesearchstrategiesontheATLASRun-II13TeVcollisiondata.SearcheswillfocusonHiggsdecaysintotwotauleptons,sinceastrongcouplingispredictedbytheMinimalSupersymmetricStandardModel.Thestudentwillparticipateindevelopingalgorithmsfortauleptonidentification,andwillalsobeexpectedtoplayaroleinmaintenanceandoperationoftheATLASSemiConductorTrackerduringRun-IIoftheCERNLargeHadronCollider.
Contact:DrTrevorVickey([email protected])
Experimentaldarkmatter–DRIFTDirectionalProgrammeHardwaredevelopment,constructionand/ordataanalysiswithUScollaboratorsofthedirectionsensitiveDRIFTIIandDRIFTIIIdarkmatterexperimentsincluding:analysistosearchforSupersymmetricdarkmatterparticleswithadirectionalsignal;developmentofultra-lowbackgroundgasdetectorsandreadoutelectronicsschemes;constructionofDRIFTIII,theworld’slargestdirectionalDMdetector;developmentofanalysiscodefortrackreconstruction;optimizationanddataanalysisforextractionofneutralinolimitsandtrackdirectionalinformation;possibilitytoworkinLosAngelesandNewMexico(USA).
Contact:ProfNeilSpooner([email protected])
SearchfordarkmatterannualmodulationattheSouthPole–DM-ICEProjectParticipateinthesearchforagalacticparticledarkmattersignalsusingannualmodulationwiththeDM-ICEexperiment2.5kmbelowtheSouthPole,includingoneormoreofthefollowing:analysisofdatafromthe17kg
prototypescintillatornowrunningintheice;developmentofthenew250kgultra-lowbackgrounddetectorbeingbuiltfordeploymentattheSouthPole;developmentandtestofnewsodiumiodidecrystalsforthedetector;possibilitytoparticipateindeploymentactivitiesattheAntarcticSouthPole.
Contact:ProfNeilSpooner([email protected])
LiquidargondetectorsforneutrinooscillationexperimentsandprotondecayDevelopmentofliquidargondetectorsfornext-generationlongbase-lineneutrinooscillationexperimentsincludingthemulti-nationalLBNEbeingbuiltintheUS:designandconstructionofliquidargontestdetectors;applicationofchargeandlightreadoutdevices(Siliconphoto-sensors,photomultipliers,GEMsandmicromegas);developmentofpurificationtechniques;measurementofliquidargonparametersincludingelectrondrift;beamtestsandsimulationsofsensitivitytobackgroundparticlesandneutrinos;participationinLBNE;possibilitytoworkatUCLA(LosAngeles)andFermilab(Chicago).
Contact:ProfNeilSpooner([email protected])
Particledetectorsforenergy,medicine,climatechangeandsecurityindustryDevelopmentofnoveldetectorsformuontomographytoallowmonitoringofCO2storedundergroundtocombatclimatechange,medicalpositronemissiontomographyusingnovelliquidargontechnologyordirectionalneutrondetectionfornationalsecurityapplicationsusinggas-baseddetectors.Projectsindetectorhardwaredevelopmentandsimulationsoranalysiswithlinkstoindustry.
Contact:ProfNeilSpooner([email protected])
IonisationcoolingofmuonsAfutureNeutrinoFactoryorMuonColliderwilluseintensebeamsofstoredmuons.Asmuonsareproducedastertiaryparticles(fromthedecayofpionswhichthemselvescomefromaprotoncollision),theyhavetobe“cooled”beforeinjectionintoanaccelerator.Theshortlifetime(~2μs)meansthatnovelcoolingtechniquesarerequired.TheinternationalMuonIonisationCoolingExperiment(MICE)isstudyingsuchtechniques,andSheffieldhasaleadingroleintheproject.APhDstudentworkingonMICEwillgainexperienceofhardwareandsoftwaredevelopment,takingpartinarunningUK-basedexperimentbutattendingmeetingswithcollaboratorsaroundtheworld.
Contact:DrChrisBooth([email protected])
HighpowertargetstudiesAnumberoffutureparticlephysicsprojectsrequiremulti-MWprotonbeamsinteractingwithatarget.TheseincludeNeutrinoFactories,MuonCollidersandhighintensityneutronsources.ThereisanopeningforastudenttojointheSheffieldteamsimulatingshockinhighpowertargets,modellingparticleproductionandtrappingandstudyinginducedradiationeffectsfrominteractionsofahighpowerbeamwithtarget,supportstructureanddump.
Contact:DrChrisBooth([email protected])
StudyingneutrinooscillationswiththeT2KExperimentTheSheffieldT2Kgrouparecurrentlyinvolvedinanalysesofso-calledCCpi0events,i.e.chargedcurrenteventsthatcontainoneneutralpion,animportantchannelwhenunderstandingelectronneutrinoappearancesystematicerrors.ThegroupalsohasresponsibilityfortimingcalibrationintheND280detector.Thestudentwillalsohavetheopportunitytospendlongerperiodsoftime(typically6-12months)outatJ-PARCwheretheywillparticipateinshiftsworkontheT2KND280neardetectoratJ-PARCinJapan.
Contact:ProfLeeThompson([email protected])
CO2storagemonitoringusingcosmicraysAsaresultofarecentlargegrantawardedbytheDepartmentofEnergyandClimateChange(DECC),thereisworktakingplaceintheSheffieldPPPAgrouptodesignanddevelopdetectorsforcosmicraymuonsthatcanbedeployedaroundthedepletedNorthSeaoilfieldsthatwillformmanyoftheproposedstoragesitesforcapturedcarbondioxide.ThisexperimentalPhDprogrammewillrevolvearoundthedevelopment,deploymentandoperationofnovelcosmicraydetectors,capableofoperatingatelevatedtemperaturesandinrestrictedvolumes.
Contact:ProfLeeThompson([email protected])
NeutrinooscillationstudiesusingtheLBNEdetectorTheLongBaselineNeutrinoExperiment(LBNE)isbasedintheUSandisanextgenerationneutrinoexperimentthatwillstudythephenomenonofneutrinooscillationsinunprecedenteddetail.ThisPhDprojectfocussesonunderstandingtheperformanceoftheproposedliquidArgonfardetector(FD)aswellasworkingwithteamsintheUStodevelopreconstructionalgorithmsandcalibrationtechniquesforthedetector.
Contact:ProfLeeThompson([email protected])
NeutrinooscillationmeasurementswithT2KT2Kisalong-baselineneutrinooscillationexperimentbasedinJapan.Theaimsoftheexperimentaretoimprovetheunderstandingofmuonneutrinooscillation(tobothelectronneutrinos,1-3mixing,andtauneutrinos,2-3mixing)andtoconstraintheCP-violationparameterdelta.Thestudentwillcontributetoneutrinooscillationmeasurementseitherdirectlyorbystudyingprocessesthatcontributetothesystematicerrorintheoscillationmeasurements.Thisprojectislikelytoinvolvespendingasignificantamountoftime(6-12months)inJapan.
Contact:DrSusanCartwright([email protected])
Neutrino-nucleusinteractionsAdominantcauseofsystematicerrorsinneutrinooscillationmeasurementsisourcurrentlackofagooddescriptionoftheneutrino-nucleuscross-section.BuildingonpastexperiencewithintheSheffieldT2Kgroup,thestudentwillworkonimprovingthedescriptionofneutrino-nucleusinteractionsinthesimulationsusedinT2Kandotherneutrinoexperiments.Thiswillinvolvedevelopinganunderstandingofthephysicalprocessesinvolvedandhowtheyareimplementedinthesimulations,andusingdatafromT2Kandotherneutrinoexperimentstotunethemodelstoimprovetheirdescriptionofthedata.
Contact:DrSusanCartwright([email protected])
SupernovaneutrinosinTITUSandHyper-KTheHyper-Kamiokandeexperimentisaproposedextremelylarge(Mtonscale)waterCherenkovneutrinodetectorinJapan.Hyper-Kwillactasthefardetectorforaproposednext-generationneutrinooscillationexperiment,butalsohasastrongresearchprogrammeinnon-acceleratorneutrinophysics.OneareainwhichHyper-KhasgoodpotentialisthestudyofneutrinosfromthenextGalacticcore-collapsesupernova.Thestudentwillworkonimplementingthemostup-to-datemodelsofcore-collapsesupernovaeintheHyper-Ksimulationandinvestigatingthesensitivitytothepropertiesofbothneutrinosandsupernovaeofferedbythedetectionofahypotheticalsupernovaatadistanceoforder10kpc.(ArealGalacticsupernovacannot,unfortunately,beguaranteedonthetimescaleofaPhDstudentship...)
Contact:DrSusanCartwright([email protected])
GravitationalwavesearcheswithLIGO/GEO600/VirgoTheHEPgroupatSheffieldincludesanactiveexperimentalgravitationalwaveresearchgroup,consistingoftwofacultymembers,apostdoctoralresearcher,andtwocurrentPh.D.students.WearemembersoftheLIGOscientificcollaboration,andareactiveindetectorcommissioning,detectorcharacterisationanddataanalysisinconnection
withtheLIGO,Virgo,andGEO600gravitationalwaveinterferometers.Inaddition,wehaveastrongroleintheGOTOdedicatedgravitational-waveopticalfollow-upinstrument,aimingatdetectingopticalcounterpartstogravitationalwavesignals.Ph.D.projectsinthegroupincludegravitationalwavedataanalysis,particularlyfastreal-timeanalysispipelinesandworkwiththeelectromagneticfollow-upgroupwithinLIGO,andtheGOTOopticalfollow-upproject.AdvancedLIGOisduetocomeon-lineforfirstsciencedatain2015,sothisisanexcitingtimetobeinvolvedingravitationalwaveinterferometery.
Contact:DrEdDaw([email protected])
DarkmattersearchwiththeLZexperimentUX-ZEPLIN(LZ)isaprojecttobuildandoperateahigh-sensitivitydarkmatterexperimentinthedeepmineatHomestake(USA)abletoprobemostoftheWIMPparameterspaceregionfreefromastrophysicalneutrinobackground.ThePPPAgroupattheSheffieldisinvolvedintheLZexperimentwithaprimeresponsibilityformodellingbackgroundradiation,simulatingthedetectionofvariousparticlesandimprovingthedetectordesign.Theconstructionphaseisexpectedtostartin2015anditisagoodtimeforaPhDstudenttobeinvolvedintheproject.
ThePhDprojectincludesMonteCarlomodellingoftheLZexperimentincludingitsbackground.Studentwillalsobeexpectedtocontributetothedetectorconstructionandtestsofdifferentparts,aswellastothemeasurementofradioactivecontaminationsindifferentmaterials.Thesuccessfulcandidateshouldhaveagoodknowledgeofparticlephysicsandprogrammingskills.Theknowledgeofnuclearphysicsandparticleastrophysicsisdesirable.
Contact:DrVitalyKudryavtsev([email protected])
NeutrinooscillationstudyandprotondecaysearchwithLBNELBNEisalargeinternationalprojecttodesign,constructandoperateofmulti-kilotonscaleliquidargondetectorforneutrinophysics,astrophysicsandprotondecaysearch.ThedetectorwillbebuiltdeepundergroundintheHomestakemineintheUSA.ThePPPAgroupisinvolvedintheLBNEprojectwithoneoftheresponsibilitiestomodelbackgroundproducedbycosmic-raymuonsandinvestigatingthesensitivityoftheexperimentstodifferenttasks.ThisPhDprojectincludesMonteCarlosimulationsofmuonsandmuon-inducedcascadesfordifferentdetectordesigns,studyingdiscriminationbetweensignalandbackgroundeventsandevaluatingdetectorsensitivity.Thestudentwillalsobeexpectedtocontributetothedataanalysisfromthe35-tonprototypedetector.Thecandidateshouldhaveagoodknowledgeofparticlephysicsandprogrammingskills.Theknowledgeofnuclearphysicsandparticleastrophysicsisdesirable.
Contact:DrVitalyKudryavtsev([email protected])
Cosmic-raymuonsindifferentapplicationsCosmic-raymuonsareknowntobeusefulinapplicationsbeyondparticleastrophysics.Theyhavehelpedtomapstructureofvolcanoesandfindingvoidsinvariousgeologicalstructures.Otherpossibleapplicationsincludestudiesofgeologicalrepositoriesincludingmonitoringcarboncapture,tracingillicitnuclearmaterialsetc.ThePPPAgroupattheUniversityofSheffield,incollaborationwithotherinstitutionsandindustrialpartners,pursuesawideprogrammerelatedtothesemuonapplications.ThisPhDprojectoffersanopportunityforastudenttoapplytheknowledgeofparticle/astroparticlephysicsanddetectortechnologyinotherareaswhicharelinkedtokeyproblemsofcontemporaryworld:atmosphericpollution,climatechange,nuclearsecurityetc.
Contact:DrVitalyKudryavtsev([email protected])
DetectionofcontrabandexplosivesusingneutronactivationTheSheffieldPulsedNeutronFacilityhasbeensetuptoassesscargoscreeningstrategiesbasedonneutronactivationandinducedfission.Itisbasedonaninertialelectrostaticconfinementgeneratorusingdeuterium-tritiumfusiontoproducepulsesof14MeVneutrons.ThisgeneratorwasmanufacturedbyNSD-Fusion,nowNSD-Gradel,Luxembourg.Todate,thegeneratorhasbeenproventooperatereliablyandmanyofitscharacteristicshavebeenmeasured.Someofthepossiblecargoscreeningstrategieshavebeendemonstratedtoworkwithsimplesingledetectorsetups.Inparticularthethermalactivationofnitrogenasanindicatorofthepresenceofnitrogenousexplosivesisdetectablewithkilogramsurrogatesamples.Wewouldliketoextendthisworkbyengineeringanarrayofdetectorscapableofsimultaneousmeasurementofgammaraysoverawiderangeofenergiesupto12MeV.Additionallyfastandthermalneutronsshouldbemeasuredtoassessneutrontransparencyandthermalizationpropertiesofsamplecargoes.Thesedetectorswillbereadoutbyadataacquisitionsystemrecordingtheenergiesandtime-stampinghitsoveratimescaleconsiderablylongerthanthethermalizationtimeofthesystem.Itisintendedthatthefusionofthesedatastreamswillallowconsiderablymoreexactcharacterizationofpotentialthreatsthanasinglemeasurementwouldpermit.ExplosiveswillbeidentifiablebyCHNOratios,whilefissilenuclearmaterialswillbeidentifiablebydie-awayanalysiswhichwilldistinguishdelayedfissions.
Contact:DrJohnMcMillan( [email protected])
Soft matter physicsThesoftmatterphysicsgroupconductsresearch(bothexperimentalandtheoretical)intothephysicsandapplicationsofpolymers,organic-semiconductors,functionalnano-particles,biologicalmaterials,imagingandinstrumentation.ForgeneralenquiriescontactProfessorDavidLidzey:[email protected]
Visitwww.sheffield.ac.uk/physics/research/softmatterformoreinformation.
UsingnanoparticlestocontrolmicrostructureinpolymerblendsPhaseseparatedpolymerblendshavemicrostructuresatlengthscalesthataretypicallyoftheorderofmicrons.Theinclusionofnanoparticlescanarrestthegrowthofphaseseparateddomainsresultinginmuchfinerlengthscales.Thediffusiveequationofmotionsforthelocalconcentrationofthepolymersandthenanoparticleswillbecoupledtothethermodynamicsdrivingphaseseparationandtothehydrodynamicdescriptionoffluidflow.Theresultantpartialdifferentialequationswillbesolvednumerically,takingadvantageoftheparallelcapabilitiesofgraphicsprocessingunits.
Contact:ProfNigelClarke([email protected])
Innovativeelectrolyte-gatedthinfilmtransistorsTheintroductionofelectrolytes,includingwater,asthegatemediumfororganicthinfilmtransistors(TFTs)hasopenedupmanifoldnewopportunitiesfortheirpracticalapplications.
WehereofferaPhDresearchpositiontoadvanceelectrolyte-gatedthinfilmtransistorsbyintroducinginnovativesemiconductors(SCs)intoelectrolyte-gatedTFTs.Wehavealreadydemonstratedwater-gatingoforganicnanowiresandZnO,andthecandidateshalltakethisresearchfurther.Possibilitiesareprecursor-routeSCsfromtheZincoxide(ZnO)family,nanostructuredSCsdepostitedfromthewater/oilinterface,orsolution-processedCuSCN.
Contact:DrMartinGrell([email protected])
UltrafastsingletexcitonfissionincarotenoidsInsolarcells,theabilitytoabsorbonephotonandharvesttwoelectronscanleadtointernalquantumefficienciesofupto200%.Thisispossibleusingorganicsemiconductorsviaaprocessknownas‘singletexcitonfission’(SEF),wheretheprimaryexcitedstate(singletexciton)cansplitintotwodistincttripletexcitonswhichcanbothbeharvested.
SEFhasalsobeenshowntooccurinnaturallyoccurringcarotenoidssuchasastaxanthinandzeaxanthin,butwehaverecentlydemonstratedthatcurrenttheorydoesnotadequatelydescribeSEFinthesesystems.
Theproposedprojectwillinvolveusingtime-resolvedultrafastspectroscopyinSheffield’snewlaserfacilitytostudySEFincarotenoids.Themainoutcomesoftheprojectwillbetwo-fold:
1. todevelopanewdescriptionofthisSEFprocessincollaborationwiththeoreticians,enablingfuturedesignofefficientSEFmaterialsforsolarcellapplications.
2. todeterminewhetherSEFincarotenoidshasabiologicalrole.
Contact:DrJennyClark( [email protected])
UltrafastspectroscopyofsinglecrystalorganicsemiconductorsOrganicsemiconductorsareexcitingmaterials.Theyarenotonlystartingtocompetewithtraditional(opto)electronicmaterialsindeviceapplications,theyarealsointrinsicallysustainable.Solution-processedorganicphotovoltaics,forexample,use~10timeslessenergytoproducethananyotherPVtechnologyandareonlymadefromearth-abundantelements.
Untilrecently,itwasthoughtthattheproblemwithorganicsemiconductorswasdisorder,thoughttobeafundamentaldraw-backofsolution-based(i.e.sustainable,low-cost)depositiontechniques.Workinthelast4yearshaschangedthisparadigm.Solution-processedhighlyorderedsinglecrystalsnowdemonstratefield-effectmobilitesabove10cm2/Vs.Only10yearsagosuchultra-highmobilitiesatroomtemperatureinthinorganicfilmswouldhavebeenconsideredunachievablebymanyexpertsinthefield.
Thesenewultra-highmobilitythinfilmsposeaconsiderablechallengetoourunderstandingofchargeandenergytransport.Theyoperateinwhatisknownasthe‘intermediatecoupling’regimewhereenergyandchargetransfercanbedescribedasbeingsomewherebetweentheband-liketransferthatoccursinhighlyorderedinorganic
semiconductorsandthepurelyhoppingtransferthatoccursinverydisorderedsystems.
Inthisproject,youwillmeasurematerialsfromcollaboratorsinJapanusingSheffield’snewlaserfacilitytoattempttodescribetheenergytransportandradiativeandnon-radiativedeactivationintheintermediatecouplingregime.ItisexpectedthatyouwillcollaboratewiththeoreticiansintheUSAtodevelopmodelstointerpretthedata.
Contact:DrJennyClark( [email protected])
UnderstandingdegradationmechanismsinpolymerandperovskitesolarcellsThelastfewyearshasseentremendousprogressinthedevelopmentofphotovoltaicsdevicesbasedonconjugatedpolymersandperovskitematerials.Suchmaterialscanbeprocessedfromsolutionintothin-films,offeringtheprospectofmanufacturingphotovoltaicdevicesoververylargeareasusingcomparativelycheapmaterialsandprocesses,inwhichtheamountofembodiedenergy(andcarbon)issubstantiallyreduced.Despitesuchprogress,suchdevicescanhaverelativelyshortlifetimes.ThisPhDprojectwilldeveloptechniquesandmethodologiestounderstandwhatthedegradationprocessesareinsuchsolarcells,andthenexploremethodstomitigatesuchdegradation.YouwillfabricatePVdevices,andthenuseaseriesofdifferenttestingchamberstoexploredevicelifetime-bothundersimulatedsunlight,andunderreal-worldconditionsattheSheffieldSolarFarm.Suchdevicetestingactivitieswillbecomplementedbyspectroscopicmeasurementsinwhichyouwillopticallyprobeboth‘fresh’and‘aged’devicesacrosstheirsurfaceinordertoidentifytheoriginoftheirdegradation.ThisisanexperimentalresearchprojectsuitableforPhysicists,MaterialScientists,ElectronicEngineersorPhysicalChemistswhowishtobuildacareerinthefieldsofphotovoltaicsandrenewableenergy.
Contact:ProfDavidLidzey([email protected])
PolaritonphysicsinorganicsemiconductormicrocavitiesAmicrocavityisastructureinwhichanopticallyactivesemiconductorisplacedbetweentwohighlyreflectivemirrors.Suchastructurequantizesthelocalelectromagneticfield,andconfinesphotonsintoaseriesofdiscreetopticalmodes.Withintheso-called‘strong-couplingregime’theconfinedcavityphotonsandtheelectronicexcitationsofthesemiconductorcannolongerbethoughtofasseparatestates,butrathercancoupletogethertoformnewquasi-particlestatestermed‘cavity-polaritons’.Polaritonsnecessarilyhaveverydifferentopticalpropertiesfromtheirconstituentpartsandareafascinatingtest-bedforfundamentalphysics;whentherelativedensityofpolaritonsinacavityexceedsacertainthreshold,thewavefunctionofsuchstatesallbecomephase-locked,resultingintheformationamacroscopicquantumobject.Suchpolariton‘condensates’havepotentialapplicationsinultra-lowthresholdlasers,optoelectronicsandultra-fastopticalswitches.Inthisproject,youwillhelpdevelopourongoingworkonpolaritonmicrocavitiesthatcontainmolecular(carbon-based)semiconductors.Inparticular,youwilluseanewultra-fastlasersystemtocharacterisetheopticalgainpropertiesoforganicsemiconductorthin-film.Youwillthenfabricatesuchsemiconductorsintoamicrocavity,andexplorethephysicsanddynamicsofthepolartioncondensates.ThisisanexperimentalresearchprojectsuitableforPhysicists,ElectronicEngineersorPhysicalChemistswhowishtobuildacareerinthefieldofphotonicsandoptoelectronics.
Contact:ProfDavidLidzey([email protected])
SimulationstudiesofliquidcrystalsorderingThistheoreticalstudentshipwouldbebasedintheDepartmentofPhysicsandAstronomyandwouldbeconcernedwithsimulatingthepropertiesofliquidcrystalsthatarestudiedexperimentallyintheDepartmentofMaterialsScienceandEngineeringinthegroupofProfessorUngarandDrZeng.Thefirstprojecttobestudiedwouldbetostudyaliquidcrystalwherethemoleculesorderinsquarearraysbuttherearetwosidechainsattachedtothemiddleofeachliquidcrystalmoleculesoeachsquarecontains4ofthesesidechains.Thetwosidechainsrepelsothereisatransitiontoanorderedphaseinwhichthesidechainshavesegregated.TheworkwoulduseMonteCarlosimulationstostudythecriticalbehaviouroccurringatthistransitiontocompareittothe2-dimensionalIsingmodel.Laterworkwouldinvolveastudythetimescaleoftheorderingdynamicsforliquidcrystalsandalsotostudynovelorderingofrhombuseswith120and60degreeanglesthatorderinhexagonalarraysandthesuperlatticesand“stripe”phasesthatresult.
Contact:ProfGillianGehring([email protected]),ProfGoranUngar([email protected])andDrXiangbingZeng([email protected])
If you would like any more information or have any questions, please contact our Postgraduate Research Administrator, Laura Oliver.
+44(0)[email protected]
DepartmentofPhysicsandAstronomyTheUniversityofSheffieldHicksBuildingHounsfieldRoadSheffieldS37RHUnitedKingdom
www.sheffield.ac.uk/physics @UoSPHY