The Gravitational-Wave (GW) group at UCLouvain (Belgium) invites applications from candidates interested in a PhD in laser and optical techniques for GW detection. The successful applicant will contribute to cutting-edge research and development projects for the Virgo interferometric GW detector, the future Einstein Telescope (ET), and laser techniques in adjacent fields, such as optical clocks.
The research. Over the past decade, the emerging field of GW detection has allowed the observation of the universe in its most extreme environments and testing of General Relativity. Today's GW detectors, such as LIGO and Virgo, are limited by several effects. Two such thermal effects are:
The goal of this PhD thesis is to explore the use of optical modes resonating in the laser interferometers optical cavities to track, control, and mitigate these effects. Similar thermal effects also limit optical clocks, and synergies with adjacent fields should be explored. The research will be directly linked to the Virgo and Einstein Telescope collaborations, and the successful candidate will be expected to communicate their findings within these communities.
Our group is hosted at the Center for Cosmology, Particle Physics and Phenomenology (CP3) within the Research Institute in Mathematics and Physics (IRMP). CP3 conducts research in physics of the universe and fundamental interactions, both on the experimental and theoretical fronts. The UCLouvain GW group actively participates in the Virgo and Einstein Telescope collaborations. Additionally, we are involved in two Einstein Telescope research and development facilities, E-TEST and ETpathfinder. The group also contributes to LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA (LVK) physics data analyses and plays a significant role in the LVK Collaboration’s computing efforts via the CP3 computing cluster and GRID-based services. CP3 provides a highly international, diverse, and stimulating research environment. It also hosts groups working on CERN experiments (CMS and NA62), IceCube, KM3NeT, muography, and theoretical particle physics and cosmology projects. The successful candidate will be encouraged to participate in weekly seminars covering topics across our broad research portfolio.
The successful candidate will be supervised by Dr. A. Goodwin-Jones, in collaboration with Prof. C. Lauzin and Prof. G. Bruno, with opportunities for collaboration across the Belgian GW community and with international partners at ETpathfinder, E-TEST, Virgo, and ET. We provide strong support for travel and professional development, including funding for participating in one major conference per year and visits to collaborative partner sites.
UCLouvain is located 25 km south of Brussels, easily accessible by public transport, offering a choice between city life in the EU capital and the peaceful countryside surrounding the campus. UCLouvain provides numerous benefits, including reimbursement of public transport and free language courses. Learn more about life at UCLouvain here.
The position. The anticipated starting date is flexible, with September 2025 as the target. We strongly encourage applications from women, individuals from underrepresented backgrounds, and other minorities, as we are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive research environment.
Applications must include:
Applications must be submitted by 2nd March 2025 on-line at https://cp3.irmp.ucl.ac.be/job/109. Applicants should hold, by the start of the appointment, a master’s degree in physics, engineering, or a related field and demonstrate a strong interest and motivation in instrumentation for fundamental physics research.
The position will remain open beyond the deadline until a suitable candidate is found.
For more information please, contact
Managers: