Fixed Term

Salary: £27,854-£36,298 pa

Reference: KA01268

Closing date: 30 June 2013

Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available until 24 February 2015.

The Detector Physics Group of the Department of Physics, University of Cambridge, invites applications for a postdoctoral Research Associate to work on the development of ultra-low-noise superconducting imaging arrays for a new generation of far-infrared space telescopes. You will join a team developing ultra-sensitive superconducting detectors for the European Space Agency (ESA)/Japanese Space Agency (JAXA) cooled-aperture space telescope SPICA. The SAFARI instrument on SPICA requires three superconducting imaging arrays covering the wavelength range 34-210 µm.  Because the primary mirror of the telescope will be cooled to below 5K, the background thermal noise is exceedingly low, and the detectors must have unprecedented sensitivity. To exploit the capabilities of the telescope, the detectors will be cooled to 70 mK, and their coupling to straylight must be kept to a minimum.  You will play a leading role in designing, testing, and modelling the behaviour of ultra-low-noise Transition Edge Sensors (TESs). The focus of the work is to understand the fundamental device and optical physics, rather than to manufacture flight hardware. A key part of the work will relate to making low-temperature (70mK) optical measurements on a new generation of devices. The work is funded by the European Space Agency, and involves a close collaboration with a number of international organisations. The work will take place in the Detector Physics Group under the leadership of Professor Withington, which has a comprehensive range of facilities for modelling, fabricating, and testing superconducting devices of various kinds.

Candidates must have a PhD (or equivalent) in a relevant scientific discipline, physics or engineering, and a strong experimental element is required. Alternatively, candidates must be close to submitting a doctoral thesis. Although it is not essential to have expertise in superconducting detectors, experience in a related area, such as thin-film device processing, or solid-state physics, or low-temperature measurements, or astronomical instrumentation is highly beneficial. The position is available immediately, and we hope that the successful applicant will be able to start in the near future.

Applications should be sent to Mrs Scrivener and should contain a full CV; a statement of relevant technical expertise and experience, and list of publications (if applicable); the names and contact details of two referees; and a completed CHRIS/6 cover sheet, (available from the Apply link below).

Please quote reference KA01268 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.

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