Postdoc position for investigating the properties of graphene as a plasmonic material. We seek a highly motivated and skilled postdoctoral researcher to be part of an ongoing theoretical effort at Chalmers University of Technology. The position is in the Applied Physics Department, Condensed Matter Theory group.

The project will be carried out by the prospective applicant along with a PhD student and professors working within the field. In a larger perspective the project will be done in a truly international environment and the home of several national and EU projects.

Controlling the interaction between light and matter is fundamental to science and to technology. In conventional optics light can only be controlled on length scales down to of the order of the wavelength of light. However, a new paradigm called plasmonics has emerged, an approach based on using localised surface plasmon resonances to control light down to nanometre length scales.

Plasmonics relies on the interaction between light and collective excitations of mobile charges. The properties of plasmons are determined by both the geometry and electronic structure of the system. In this project we study plasmonic excitations in graphene, which is an ultrathin conductive sheet with unusual electronic properties – for instance, electrons in graphene behave like massless particles that are described by the relativistic Dirac equation. Of particular interest is tailoring the plasmon characteristics by controlling the carrier density, the geometry of the graphene sheet, and its electrodynamic environment. While the main focus of the project is fundamental science, it is connected to technological applications such as generation and detection of THz radiation for sensors and communication devices.

We are seeking a post-doc with documented skills in condensed matter physics and electromagnetic modelling in plasmonic structures. The post-doc will have the main responsibility of the project that will be carried out within the framework of ongoing research programs on graphene mechanics and electronics. The project last for two years and the prospective post-doc should be able to start during the first half of 2010. We will start to interview qualified applicants first week in March. A candidate maybe chosen at anytime after that, but applications will be accepted until position is filled. A post-doc at Chalmers is usually 1+1 years.

In order to improve the gender balance at the Department, we welcome in particular applications from female candidates.

You are welcome to contact

Professor Jari Kinaret, jari dot kinaret at chalmers dot se
and/or
Peter Apell, apell at chalmers dot se

• SACO: Jan Lindér
• ST: Marie Wenander
• SEKO: Johan Persson

All reachable via Chalmers exchange: +46 31 772 10 00