I am happy to supervise PhD projects on topics in space and planetary physics covering giant planet systems (Saturn, Jupiter, Uranus, Neptune, and their moons/rings), and also astrophysical magnetospheres such as those around Brown dwarfs and exoplanets. PhD projects can either be focused on data analysis, using data from deep space missions such as Cassini-Huygens and Juno, or on computational modelling, or a combination. I have a particular interest in data science applications in planetary science and can offer projects with a strong element data mining, machine learning, and Bayesian analysis.

View Chris's profile

Dynamics of Jupiter’s magnetosphere: We are exploring giant planet environments with the Juno mission at Jupiter and concurrent Hisaki and Hubble Space Telescope images of Jupiter’s UV aurora. The combination of these measurements allow us to probe how the vast magnetosphere responds to changes in the external (e.g. solar wind) and internal (e.g. the volcanic moon Io) conditions. This project will exploit the available data to investigate the mechanisms and timescales of Jupiter’s magnetospheric dynamics.

View Sarah's profile

1) Intriguingly, there may be low-mass (sub-eV) particles in our Universe that have so far escaped detection. Dark matter haloscopes and light shining through a wall (LSW) experiments are possible techniques for looking for particles such as the elusive axion (which is motivated by the solution to the 'strong CP problem'). PhD projects are available in the design, construction and analysis of data from innovative small-scale experiments searching for hidden-sector photons, axions and axion-like particles as part of the QSHS collaboration. 2) Projects are available analysing data and simulating the beam dynamics of the Fermilab Muon g-2 experiment, searching for physics beyond the Standard Model by making a precise measurement of the anomalous magnetic moment of the muon. Recent results hint strongly that unknown, new physics may be interacting with the muon. 3) Projects are available simulating and designing compact and energy-efficient sources of intense particle beams and gamma rays for a range of future high-energy physics facilities.

View Ian's profile

See the Experimental Particle Physics Group page for a list of current PhD projects: http://www.lancaster.ac.uk/physics/research/experimental-particle-physics/#opportunities

View Iain's profile

Measurement of branching fraction of the semileptonic top quark decay to tauon. The Standard Model assumes the lepton flavour universality (LFU). Within this assumption, weak interaction of all leptons is exactly the same. However, the recent measurements of decays of B hadrons demonstrate an intriguing hint of deviation from LFU. The goal of this research is to test LFU in the semileptonic decay of the heaviest top quark to tauon and to measure the corresponding branching fraction with high precision. The statistics are collected by ATLAS experiment at CERN and is already available.

View Guennadi's profile

PhD projects are available in non-equilibrium dynamics in quantum many-body systems, particularly in topics related to many-body quantum chaos. Please contact me if you're interested.

View Amos's profile

- Cosmic Inflation in the early Universe Cosmic Inflation is a period of superluminal expansion of space just after the Big Bang. It is fixing the initial conditions of the Universe history, in that it makes the Universe large and uniform. Additionally, inflation generates quantum-mechanically the controlled violation of uniformity necessary for the build-up of structures such as galaxies and galactic clusters. Inflation is under new light due to the recent cosmological data, such as the Planck CMB observations. Several families of inflationary models are now excluded, while new research on the favoured models overlaps with concerns over the stability of the electroweak vacuum (Higgs inflation) and the UV completion of gravity (R^2 inflation). The discovery of gravitational waves has ignited new interest in detecting primordial gravitational waves, quantum generated during inflation, which are a smoking gun for inflation theory, and motivates forthcoming missions (e.g. POLARBEAR). - Quintessential Inflation and Dark Energy Observations suggest that the Universe at present is engaging anew in a period of late time inflation, determined by a mysterious substance called dark energy, which makes up about 70% of the density budget of the Universe today. Dark energy can be modelled similarly to primordial inflation, through a substance called quintessence. Quintessential inflation is the effort to economically treat dark energy and primordial inflation in a common theoretical framework. As such, quintessential inflation connects not only with primordial inflation data but also with imminent future dark energy observations (e.g. EUCLID), which can provide information on early Universe physics at very high energies, well beyond the reach of Earth based experiments. Moreover, quintessential inflation can exploit the famous scale mystery, whereby the scale of electroweak physics, which is explored in collider experiments such as the LHC, is roughly the geometric mean of the Planck energy scale, which is associated with gravity, and the dark energy scale. This implies that observations in the early and late Universe can be used to shed some light on particle physics phenomenology.

View Konstantinos's profile

Development and application of quantum Monte Carlo methods; first-principles studies of two-dimensional materials (graphene, silicene, boron nitride, transition metal dichalcogenides...).

View Neil's profile

ATLAS Higgs to tau tau
X to HH to bbtautau
Silicon pixel detectors for the ATLAS upgrade project

View Harald's profile

Super-macro-particles to improve in Particle-in-cell codes. Supervisor: Dr. Jonathan Gratus (Lancaster University), co-supervisor Dr. Hywel Owen (Manchester University). Project Description: A studentship is available from Oct 2019 on the development of the theory, computer coding and testing of an exciting new idea for improving the numerical simulation of charged particles. Particle-in-cell (PIC) codes are essential for the numerical simulation of charged particles in both conventional accelerators and plasmas. They are used extensively for understanding of the physics and design of future machines. A typical code may have to track tens of billions of particles and may need to run on high performance computer clusters. We are investigating a revolutionary new method which promises to dramatically reduce the computation needed for simulations. This method increases the dynamical information of each particle while reducing the total number of particles. To aid in this task we need an enthusiastic PhD student to incorporate the new dynamical equations into existing PIC codes and compare the results with standard simulations. For the student of a more theoretical consideration there is the opportunity to develop the theory using powerful tools of differential geometry and general relativity. The applicant will be expected to have a first or upper second class degree in mathematics, physics, computer science, engineering or other appropriate qualification. A full graduate programme of training and development is provided by the Cockcroft Institute. Potential applicants are encouraged to contact Dr. Jonathan Gratus (j.gratus@lancaster.ac.uk) for more information. The first round of interview will take place in November-December 2019 Anticipated Start Date: October 2020 for 3.5 Years =========================================== Title: Shaping the electric field in artificial EM materials. Supervisors: Dr. Jonathan Gratus (Lancaster) and Prof. Rebecca Seviour (Huddersfield) An opportunity has arisen to undertake a PhD at one of the UKs top universities in the area of engineered spatially dispersive materials. A class of materials that are artificial created, like metamaterials, where the materials constitutive parameters depend, spatially, on the wavevector. The successful applicant will join an established national collaboration of theoreticians and experimental physicists and engineers working in the area of engineered spatially dispersive materials. The student will build upon recent work by the collaboration using established numerical tools to further develop our understanding of the properties of these interesting materials, and enable their physical realisation. Engineering spatial dispersion can offer many advantages to current RF technologies. Using spatially dispersive media may enable the EM field profile of a propagating wave to have an engineered field profile, engineered to present peak EM fields at the aperture of antennas. This may enable a fundamental shift in MIMO technologies, i.e. optimising waveform profiles for exploitation. Project Programme of work: Building upon previous work the student will start by using the commercial numerical EM 3D solvers HFSS, CST and Comsol. (1) the student will investigate the effects of disorder on the predicted longitudinal modes in shaped wire array media. The simulations will focus on a 4x4 array of wires, with varying degrees of variation of wire position and wire radius. Variations will be chosen from a uniform random distribution, representing variations in coordinate position of the wire and radius, starting with 1%, 2%, 5% and 10%. For each of these sets of variations at least 100 disorder ensembles will be modelled. The effects of the disorder on longitudinal mode and electric field profile will be analysed, look at the extrema and average responses. The effect of disorder only on position and radius will be studied both separately and jointly. (2) The student will start to model a physical realisable spatially dispersive wire array media capable of supporting longitudinal EM waves, using time-domain simulations. a. Time domain simulations of wire array media loaded in an oversized waveguide. Looking at longitudinal electric field patterns, optimising the field structure, modelling the wire media with physically realisable materials and with maximal variations from (1) that still enable the realisation of longitudinal electric modes, optimised for 1GHz. b. Model 1GHz longitudinal electric field wave propagation in standard waveguide. c. Design and model a coupling/matching section that will couple the longitudinal electric field wave propagation in (b) to the oversized wire media loaded in oversized waveguide of (a). d. Parallel work: look to engineer a wire array media, between two antennas, that by design the electric field profile has a peak amplitude at the points of contact with the antennas. A full graduate programme of training and development is provided by the Cockcroft Institute. Potential applicants are encouraged to contact Dr. Jonathan Gratus (j.gratus@lancaster.ac.uk) for more information. Anticipated Start Date: October 2020 for 3.5 Years

View Jonathan's profile

Research projects are available in the field of solar-terrestrial physics, magnetospheric dynamics and magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling. For details of current opportunities see: https://www.lancaster.ac.uk/physics/study/current-phds/#d.en.349042

View Adrian's profile

Please contact me if you are interested in a PhD in low temperature physics. We offer a range of projects including: experiments on superfluid helium-3 at world-record low temperatures close to absolute zero; fabricating and cooling nano-electronic and nano-electro-mechanical devices for fundamental science and new quantum technologies; development of new cooling techniques to push the boundaries of the lowest achievable temperatures.

View Richard's profile

Two projects are available. (1) Universal memory combines the best features of DRAM and flash, i.e. is non-volatile, low-voltage, non-destructively read, fast, cheap and high endurance. We recently demonstrated novel III-V compound semiconductor candidate universal memory cells (ULTRARAM), and research is rapidly progressing towards device scaling, fabrication of small arrays and implementation on Si substrates. The objective of this project is to develop and implement the III-V CMOS logic that will enable addressing of bits in large arrays (up to 1 Mbit). It will be suitable for someone with an interest in semiconductor device physics or electronic engineering. (2) VCSELs were recently used for 3D sensing in smartphones. 'Eye-safe’ VCSELs that emit above 1400 nm are preferred, but, all production VCSELs, including those in smartphones, lase below 1000 nm. The project will develop 1400 to 1600 nm VCSELs, based on our patented GaSb quantum ring technology.

View Manus's profile

Project Title: Distant Type Ia supernovae and dark energy. Dark energy is often invoked as the cause of the accelerating expansion of the universe, but its nature remains unknown. Several new telescopes and surveys will soon address this issue. This PhD project aims to advance the use of Type Ia supernovae as distance indicators for cosmology, using a combination of simulations and data from these new telescopes. Specifically, the student will work on surveys with the Rubin Observatory, ESA's Euclid mission and/or 4MOST (the 4meter Multi-Object Spectrograph Telescope). These surveys will detect tens of thousands of new supernovae and their host galaxies with a range of imaging and spectroscopic observations at optical and near-infrared wavelengths. The project will start by working with collaborators to prepare for and collect the new datasets. The first dataset available is from the Euclid mission, which was launched in July 2023 and is now producing spectacular images that will be used to search for supernovae. As the dataset increases in size, the project will move towards searching for statistical correlations among various properties of the supernovae and their environments. This information will be used to improve the accuracy of Type Ia supernova distance measurements, and hence ultimately improve constraints on the nature of Dark Energy. Please contact Prof Isobel Hook for further information. This PhD project represents just one component of the research performed by the wider Astrophysics group at Lancaster University. Our PhD projects are offered on a competitive basis and are subject to availability of funding.

View Isobel's profile

Competitively funded projects are available in the areas of: 1) Surface chemistry and single atom catalysis. 2) Directed assembly of 2D molecular structures. 3) Scanning probe microscopy in ultra-low noise environments. 4) Thermoelectric energy materials for waste heat recovery. 5) Atomic scale characterisation of 2D materials for quantum technology. Please contact me if you are interested in working on a PhD project. We are always happy to hear from enthusiastic students. Funding, where available, will be awarded on a competitive basis.

View Samuel's profile

New physics signatures via CP violation, B-physics, lifetimes, mixing - with the ATLAS detector at the Large Hadron Collider. Searches for new long-lifetime particles such as proposed SUSY particles using techniques developed for B-physics. Storage, processing and analysis of very large datasets, with examples from particle physics (ATLAS) and possibly astrophysics (LSST).

View Roger William Lewis's profile

We are seeking PhD students to study quantum phenomena in superconducting and hybrid devices. Due to their unique properties, such devices allow the control at the level of single charge or flux quantum, single photon and single phonon, and are promising for applications in sensing, metrology and quantum information processing. Examples of research projects include, but are not limited to: 1. Charge pumping by nanoelectronic hybrid circuits 2. Detection of the quantum of mechanical motion by an artificial atom 3. Interaction of surface acoustic waves with a superconducting artificial atom 4. Probing quantum fluids with nanomechanical resonators The work is experimental and involves nanofabrication of superconducting and hybrid circuits in the Quantum Technology Centre's cleanroom and measurements at mK temperatures in a dilution refrigerator. We work in close collaboration with the ULT group. We also collaborate with theorists, both at Lancaster and abroad. You are expected to have a strong interest and preferably knowledge in some of the fields: - quantum physics, superconductivity and superfluidity, Josephson junction devices, Coulomb blockade, quantum optics and quantum information; - low-noise measurements and microwave engineering; - automation of the experiment, data acquisition using Python or MatLab; - cryogenic techniques.

View Sergey's profile

1) Subsurface nano-imaging via Ultrasonic/Heterodyne Force Microscopies
2) Quantum electromechanical systems (QEMS) based on 2D materials

View Oleg's profile

My students and I work on data analysis from the T2K long-baseline neutrino oscillation experiment, as well as calibrating the detector to ensure that data quality remains high. Future physics projects could include using the T2K Near Detector (ND280) to perform a neutrino interaction cross section on lead, or involvement in the ND280 data analyses that act as input to our measurements of the neutrino oscillation parameters and of possible CP violation (matter-antimatter asymmetry) in the lepton sector. There also is a possibility to work on the SNO+ experiment, where I've been working on understanding the backgrounds to the neutrinoless double-beta decay signal. If observed, neutrinoless double-beta decay would demonstrate that neutrinos, unlike any other matter particles, are their own antiparticles. See the Experimental Particle Physics Group page for a list of current PhD projects: http://www.lancaster.ac.uk/physics/research/particle-and-accelerator-physics/experimental-particle-physics/

View Laura's profile

Most projects give opportunities for students to visit the polar Arctic for experimental field work, usually the EISCAT radar facility (www.eiscat.se) in Norway. Opportunities may also exist to visit other facilities as well as the South African National Space Agency near Cape Town (where I am the chief scientist).

Fundamental wave-plasma interactions (artificial auroras)
Long-term climate change (atmospheric density trend)
Auroral physics (e.g. black auroras)
Meso-scale dynamics (auroras and thermospheric winds)
Mesospheric physics (dusty plasmas, ozone destruction, sprites)
Ionospheric composition
Radiation belt remediation (VLF cyclotron resonance)

View Michael's profile

Various projects in mid-infrared photonics, narrow gap antimonide-based semiconductors and nanostructures

View Anthony's profile

Please contact me if you are interested in a PhD in quantum electronic devices. My group webpage has details of available projects.

View Edward's profile

Projects are available in all topics listed under 'Research Interests'.

View Colin's profile

There are projects available in the theory and modelling of the electronic properties of graphene - see research interests for more information about active research topics. Please feel free to contact me at the above email address for further details.

View Edward's profile

Physics of biological ion channels

View Peter's profile

A fully funded PhD project is available in the area of spin dynamics in antiferromagnetic materials, in which spins precess on a picosecond (one trillionth of a second corresponds to THz frequency) timescale and strongly couple to electro-magnetic waves. To excite THz magnons we will use ultrashort strong electro-magnetic fields produced either by table-top ultrafast lasers or by electron bunches at electron-beam facilities of Cockroft Institute. We will push the driven spin dynamics into strongly nonlinear regime required for practical applications such as quantum computation or magnetization switching . We will investigate nonlinear interaction of intense and highly coherent magnons with an eye on reaching regimes of auto-oscillations, nonlinear frequency conversion and complete magnetization reversal. Please follow the link for more details https://www.findaphd.com/phds/project/terahertz-magnonics/?p106475

View Rostislav's profile

I am always looking for enthusiastic candidates for PhD project. A couple of ideas for projects I am planning to run in the next few years are at: http://www.lancaster.ac.uk/physics/research/particle-and-accelerator-physics/experimental-particle-physics/#d.en.349067

View Jaroslaw's profile

I am always interested in discussing potential PhD projects with applicants. Please see the list of thesis topics at the following webpage http://www.lancaster.ac.uk/physics/research/particle-and-accelerator-physics/experimental-particle-physics/

View Helen's profile

Gamma-ray Bursts in the Era of Gravitational Waves Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs) are brief, intense flashes of gamma-rays that are accompanied by longer lasting emission in the X-ray to radio wavelengths. The duration of the gamma-ray emission may be as short as a few milliseconds or may last for as long as a few hundred seconds, during which the GRB ‘out-shines’ all objects in the known universe. GRBs are divided, based on the duration of their gamma-ray emission, into two classes 'long' and 'short', which are associated, respectively, with the collapse of massive stars or the mergers of two compact objects (either two neutron stars or a neutron star and black hole). Short GRBs have been associated with gravitational waves. The search for the electromagnetic counterpart (EM), the GRB afterglow or kilonova, of gravitational wave (GW) events has lead to large areas of sky to be observed leading to the detection of a variety of serendipitous optical/UV transients that are considered contaminants from EM searches to GW events, which may be interesting transients in their own right. Some open questions in this area of research are: What are the environments GRBs explode in to? What are the central engines and the structure of the jets? Have GRBs or their environments evolved with cosmological time? Can GRBs and their correlations be useful as cosmological probes? What are the optical/UV contaminants in the searches for the EM counterparts to GWs? The PhD student will have the opportunity to explore these types of questions. They will be able to join international collaborations such as Swift, LSST, STARGATE, and ENGRAVE. Please contact Dr Samantha Oates for further information. This PhD project represents just one component of the research performed by the wider Astrophysics group at Lancaster University. Our PhD projects are offered on a competitive basis and are subject to availability of funding. For more general information about PhD study in Physics at Lancaster please contact our postgraduate admissions staff at py-pgadmiss@lancaster.ac.uk.

View Samantha's profile

We are seeking PhD students to study quantum phenomena in superconducting and hybrid devices. Due to their unique properties, such devices allow the control at the level of single charge or flux quantum, single photon and single phonon, and are promising for applications in sensing, metrology and quantum information processing. Examples of research projects include, but are not limited to: 1. Charge pumping by nanoelectronic hybrid circuits 2. Detection of the quantum of mechanical motion by an artificial atom 3. Interaction of surface acoustic waves with a superconducting artificial atom 4. Probing quantum fluids with nanomechanical resonators The work is experimental and involves nanofabrication of superconducting and hybrid circuits in the Quantum Technology Centre’s cleanroom and measurements at mK temperatures in a dilution refrigerator. We work in close collaboration with the ULT group. We also collaborate with theorists, both at Lancaster and abroad. You are expected to have a strong interest and preferably knowledge in some of the fields: - quantum physics, superconductivity and superfluidity, Josephson junction devices, Coulomb blockade, quantum optics and quantum information; - low-noise measurements and microwave engineering; - automation of the experiment, data acquisition using Python or MatLab; - cryogenic techniques; - nanofabrication.

View Yuri's profile

Please get in touch if you are interested in a PhD in the area of low temperature nanoelectronics. Projects are available on a range of topics, including superconductor-based quantum sensors, hybrid graphene/superconducting devices, ultralow temperature thermometry and on-chip refrigeration.

View Jonathan's profile

PhD projects are available in various aspects of modelling magnetosphere-ionosphere-thermosphere coupling and auroral physics at Jupiter, Saturn, and Earth.

View Licia's profile

I have projects available in experimental aspects of molecular electronics, thermal and electrical transport in thin-film materials and their heterostructures, novel growth methods for 3D molecular architectures, and design, fabrication and characterisation of ultra-thin-film thermoelectric materials. Projects are offered on a competitive basis and are subject to availability of funding. Please get in contact for further information or discuss potential projects that are not listed above.

View Benjamin's profile

PhD projects available in all listed research areas

View Janne's profile

PhD research projects available:

Topological states of matter
Topological states in photonic systems
Many-body localization
Quantum optics of mesoscopic light emitters

View Henning's profile

The growth of galaxies and supermassive black holes
Galaxies build up their complex structures over billions of years via a diverse set of processes, including interactions with other galaxies and more solitary in-situ processes. The vast majority of galaxies also host a central supermassive black hole, and these black holes accrete and grow via processes that correlate their masses with the properties of their host galaxies. Some of the most fundamental questions about these processes are not yet answered, such as: how important are galaxy mergers to the co-evolution of galaxies and supermassive black holes? By what non-merger processes can a supermassive black hole accrete enough material to sustain the observed range of luminosities at which we observe them? Are the detailed physical processes of normal matter in galaxies critical to the nature of black hole-galaxy correlations, or do such processes depend solely on more fundamental properties driven by the size and shape of the dark matter halo?
With the latest generation of telescopes and high-resolution cosmological models, we are starting to answer these questions. Investigation of these topics during a PhD project will involve data reduction and analysis of multiwavelength, multi-channel observational data, including spectroscopy and images from the Hubble Space Telescope. A key aim is to isolate and analyse the "merger-free" channel of black hole and galaxy growth, via galaxy morphological indicators. This will involve hands-on work with large datasets as well as working with and writing code.
The student will join multiple established, productive communities, such as the Galaxy Zoo project. They will likely also have the opportunity to gain hands-on observing experience at world-class telescopes.
This project is subject to availability of funding. Galaxy evolution with the next generation of telescopes
The first images of the early Universe from JWST have raised at least as many questions as they have answered about galaxy evolution. Further upcoming missions and surveys promise to do the same. Why are disk galaxies so common at high redshift? How do they grow to the masses at which they are observed, and how do we expect them to evolve to later times? For example, could they be the progenitors of galaxies like the Milky Way? How do we reliably identify disk galaxies and galaxies with other dynamical and morphological configurations in the large datasets provided by upcoming surveys?
Investigation of these topics during a PhD project will involve analysis of multiwavelength, multi-channel observational data. This will include hands-on work with large datasets as well as working with and writing code. The student will join multiple established, productive communities, such as the Galaxy Zoo project. The student will have the opportunity to lead a data release of a morphological sample from at least one of the latest generation of surveys (e.g. from JWST, Euclid, or LSST, depending on timing and student interest). It is likely this will involve machine learning techniques, as well as combining machine classification predictions with citizen science classifications. The student will likely also have the opportunity to gain hands-on observing experience at world-class telescopes.
This project is subject to availability of funding.

View Brooke's profile

Measuring the size and structure of the Universe with type Ia supernova

View Mathew's profile

The quenching of galaxies in massive clusters:

As the Universe ages, galaxies find themselves drawn together into filaments, groups and clusters. Galaxies entering these dense environments can experience processes which ultimately lead to a dramatic change in their appearance and internal properties. This project will discover how galaxies are transformed (`quenched’) from blue star-forming spiral discs (like our own Milky Way) into passive red elliptical galaxies, through interactions with their environment.

This PhD project will be a detailed study of galaxy transformation with environment, comparing those in massive galaxy clusters to the low density "field" environment. You will use spectroscopy and imaging from Hubble Space Telescope, Very Large Telescope, Subaru telescope and the revolutionary Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST, https://www.lsst.org/). The results of this project will be physically interpreted through comparison with the outputs from state-of-the-art cosmological simulations of galaxy formation.

Galaxy clusters are the largest gravitationally bound objects in the Universe, consisting of tens to thousands of galaxies within a relatively small volume. They are used extensively as laboratories for galaxy evolution, as they contain galaxies that have experienced a similar environment and processes over many billions of years. They are also key cosmological indicators with the evolution of the number of galaxy clusters of a given mass being very sensitive to the Dark Matter content of the Universe. Because of their importance for both astrophysics and cosmology it is desirable to obtain large, well understood samples of galaxy clusters over a range of redshifts. The Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST, https://www.lsst.org/) is an imaging survey performed with the Rubin Observatory that will discover thousands of new galaxy clusters, providing such a sample. It will image the entire southern sky with an 8.4m telescope every few nights for 10 years, producing 200 petabytes of imaging data. This will be the state-of-the-art for optical surveys for many years to come.

This project aims to further develop pre-existing algorithms and machine learning code to identify large numbers of distant galaxy clusters within the LSST survey. These algorithms will be run on existing comparable, but smaller area surveys, and the early-phase of LSST that will begin operation in 2022. The algorithms will be designed so that they can be scaled-up to deal efficiently with the full size of the main LSST survey. The cluster samples generated here will also be used to study the evolution of galaxies in dense environments and potentially cosmology.

These PhD projects represent just two component of the research performed by the wider Astrophysics group at Lancaster University. Our PhD projects are offered on a competitive basis and are subject to availability of funding.

View John's profile

Please contact me if you are interested in PhD in low temperature physics. PhD projects are available on: experimental observations and computer simulations of quantum turbulence probing of superfluid 3He and 4He using conventional and nano-electromechanical oscillators, cooling nano-electromechanical objects to low temperature.

View Viktor's profile

The environments of the most active galaxies in the Universe

Luminous submillimetre-selected galaxies (SMGs) and dusty star-forming galaxies (DSFGs) are distant galaxies that are undergoing immense bursts of star formation, with typical star-formation rates of hundreds to thousands of times that of our Milky Way. These extreme systems likely represent a key phase in the formation of massive local elliptical galaxies and even 20 years after their discovery they continue to challenge theories of galaxy evolution.

This PhD project aims to reveal both the small-scale and large-scale environements of SMGs. Using data from facilities including Atacama Large Millimetre/submillimetre Array (ALMA) and ESO's Very Large Telescope (VLT) the project will examine whether the extreme star formation in SMGs is triggered by mergers and interactions with nearby companions. We will also study whether SMGs reside in protoclusters, which is expected for the progenitors of local massive elliptical galaxies. The results of these observational analyses will be used to test theories of the formation and evolution of submillimetre galaxies, and probe whether they are caused by galaxy-galaxy mergers as some simulations suggest.

Please contact Dr Julie Wardlow for further information. This PhD project represents just one component of the research performed by the wider Astrophysics group at Lancaster University. Our PhD projects are offered on a competitive basis and are subject to availability of funding. For more general information about PhD study in Physics at Lancaster please contact our postgraduate admissions staff at py-pgadmiss@lancaster.ac.uk.

View Julie's profile

For current PhD opportunities, please visit the Space and Planetary Physics group webpages.

View Jim's profile

We are seeking a PhD student for a project that combines cutting edge material science, quantum physics and information security, to drive a major evolution in physical security systems. Recently-discovered two-dimensional materials, with extraordinary physical properties extending well beyond those of graphene alone, will be the active component in the devices studied. They act as a near ideal interface between light and electronics, allowing information exchange between the two with unprecedented fidelity. The elegant access to quantum mechanics afforded by these devices will be applied to securing connections between the devices making up the Internet of Things, which are predicted to exceed 50 billion in just a few years. In this experimental project you will be trained to use state-of-the-art facilities in the Quantum Technology Centre at Lancaster to test develop quantum security devices using graphene-like materials incorporated into photonic devices. You will be taught to use nano-fabrication tools to prepare the devices for integration with embedded systems. Working with a GCHQ-backed centre of excellence in cyber security you will test the devices you create. The far-reaching goal of this project is for you to commercialise the technology through a spin-out company, Quantum Base, which focuses on quantum security systems. Please email me or see qopto.com/join/ for more details.

View Robert's profile

My research focuses on semiconductor nanostructures and physics including MBE growth, semiconductor characterization and devices containing nanostructures

View Qiandong's profile

1. Flight in superfluids

The project is to create and perform experiments with new types of superconducting probes for quantum liquids: precisely controllable levitators working at sub-millikelvin temperatures. Recently we have made a significant progress in the development of these instruments and we will explore several outstanding problems.

Firstly, pinning and nucleation of quantum vortices in superfluid helium-4. Currently, there are two contradictory pictures of how quantum vortices attach (‘pin’) to surfaces and how it affects their motion. A levitating sphere offers a new type of experimental topology and has the power to resolve this issue.

Secondly, the question of existence of a lift force in a superfluid remains open. We will build a hydrofoil, move it through superfluid and observe whether the lift exists.

Thirdly, the surface-bound states in superfluid helium-3, the coldest liquid in the Universe, at microkelvin temperatures represent a largely unexplored physical system with potentially extremely unusual properties. We have recently demonstrated how to probe this system by driving it out of equilibrium, and the new instruments promise to enhance our capabilities.

2. Superfluid ³He as an instrument for fundamental physics

We are seeking PhD students to join our team in building and implementing experiments at temperatures significantly below one millikelvin. Our current projects include using superfluid ³He as an instrument for fundamental physics: a dark matter detector and a simulator of the early universe.

The detector will use an ultrasensitive superfluid ³He calorimeter and superconducting transition edge sensors for achieving a high resolution in detecting spin-dependent interactions between ³He nuclei and hypothetical dark matter particles.

The simulator will probe the dynamics of phase transitions between two superfluid states in ³He, which is found to be of surprising similarity to the hypothetical phase transitions in the quantum vacuum of the early universe. The results of the experiments will inform the interpretation of the gravitational wave signatures from processes that took place shortly after the Big Bang.

View Dmitry's profile