Work Activities
How fast can a material switch its electronic state and what happens within a single optical cycle?

Recent work in our group has shown that high-harmonic spectroscopy can track ultrafast phase transitions in solids such as NbO₂1, while High Harmonic Deactivation Microscopy (HADES) opens a path toward label-free nanoscale imaging2. However, resolving the underlying sub-cycle electronic and structural dynamics requires much higher temporal resolution.

In this project, you will develop nonlinear pulse compression in gas-filled hollow-capillary fibers, exploiting soliton-like dynamics to generate intense few-cycle laser pulses3. These pulses will provide the temporal resolution needed to bring ultrafast dynamics into HADES and push microscopy toward the combined attosecond-nanometer frontier.

Figure 1: Self-phase modulation-based pulse-compression scheme in a gas-filled hollow-capillary fibre. Figure taken from 4.

What will you be doing: You will design and optimize a nonlinear pulse-compression scheme based on gas-filled hollow-capillary fibers, combining simulations with hands-on experiments. You will investigate soliton dynamics and nonlinear pulse propagation, characterize spectral broadening and pulse duration, and work toward generating intense few-cycle laser pulses. Ultimately, these pulses will be integrated into HADES microscope to enable access to ultrafast and potentially sub-cycle dynamics in solids.

References:
1 Nie, Z., et al. "Following the nonthermal phase transition in niobium dioxide by time-resolved harmonic spectroscopy." Physical review letters 131.24 (2023): 243201.
2Murzyn, Kevin, et al. "Breaking Abbe’s diffraction limit with harmonic deactivation microscopy." Science advances 10.46 (2024): eadp3056.
3Travers, John C. "Optical solitons in hollow-core fibres." Optics Communications 555 (2024): 130191.
4 Travers, John C., et al. "High-energy pulse self-compression and ultraviolet generation through soliton dynamics in hollow capillary fibres." Nature Photonics 13.8 (2019): 547-554.

Qualifications
You should hold a Bachelor's degree in physics or a related field.

Work environment
ARCNL performs fundamental research, focusing on the physics and chemistry involved in current and future key technologies in nanolithography, primarily for the semiconductor industry. While the academic setting and research style are geared towards establishing scientific excellence, the topics in ARCNL’s research program are intimately connected with the interests of the industrial partner ASML. The institute is located at Amsterdam Science Park and currently employs about 100 persons of which 65 are ambitious (young) researchers from all over the globe. www.arcnl.nl

Working conditions
At the start of the traineeship your trainee plan will be set out, in consultation with your ARCNL supervisor.

More information?
For further information about the position, please contact Peter Kraus: p.kraus@arcnl.nl and Anchit Srivastava A.Srivastava@arcnl.nl.

Application
You can respond to this vacancy online via the button below.

Online screening may be part of the selection.

Diversity code
ARCNL is highly committed to an inclusive and diverse work environment: we want to develop talent and creativity by bringing together people from different backgrounds and cultures. We recruit and select on the basis of competencies and talents. We strongly encourage anyone with the right qualifications to apply for the vacancy, regardless of age, gender, origin, sexual orientation or physical ability.

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