About the Project
Supervisory team:
Dr Ventsislav Valev (Department of Physics)
Dr David Carbery (Department of Chemistry)
Our research group is situated at the intersection between the Centre for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (CNN) and the Centre for Photonics and Photonic Materials (CPPM). We benefit from state-of-the-art laser equipment and we are currently recruiting several team members. The successful candidate will be joining a dynamic group and is expected to get involved in a range of scientific projects, pursuing state-of-the-art research questions. He/she will emerge as a highly qualified expert in advanced photonic techniques with a balanced scientific skills set.
Nanoscience and nanotechnology are shaping up as hallmarks of the 21st century and there are redefining the century old concept of “chirality” [1,2,3]. Chiral objects, those that lack mirror-symmetry, are abundant in nature: from spiral galaxies, all the way down to the DNA molecule and amino acids. However, whereas chirality is very useful to understand molecules, molecules are not ideal to understand chirality. The reason is that we cannot tune the size of atoms, length of bonds and position of orbitals. Modern nanofabrication has changed all that.
Nowadays, it is possible to construct chiral nanostructures made of metal and to tune all their dimensions. Such “chiral metamaterials” can find applications in negative refractive index materials, invisibility cloaking, transformation optics, ultra-thin optical components, new types of molecular sensing, nanorobotics, etc.
This is an experimental nanophotonics project that will focus on the use of powerful lasers and highly sensitive chiroptical (chiral-optical) effects. We will employ femtosecond lasers to study chiral meta/nano-materials and molecules. We will also systematically investigate chiral nanomaterials with a multiphoton microscope. The student will have the opportunity to design experiments to reveal previously unobserved physical effects and will be among the very first users of a brand new, £500k, state-of-the-art multiphoton microscope at the University of Bath. The samples to be studied will be designed by us and fabricated through international collaboration with research groups in Australia, Spain, Italy, France and Germany, as well as through our collaborators in University College London and the University of Cambridge.
For more information on our research visit: www.valev.org
The successful candidate would have a strong interest in optics/photonics and a preference for experimental work. He/she would be enthusiastic about science and would enjoy learning new things. He/she will receive in depth training in advanced photonic techniques and microscopy, as well as in the practical choice of individual optical components for his/hers work. Overall the candidate is expected to develop as an independent experimental scientist and will be encouraged to attend national/international scientific conferences and training schools.
Our research group is engaged in numerous outreach activities, such as visits to schools and participations in science festivals. An interest in communicating science to the public, robotics or digital art would be an advantage.
Informal enquiries should be directed to Dr Ventsislav Valev, [Email Address Removed]
Formal applications should be made via the University of Bath’s online application form for a PhD in Physics:
https://www.bath.ac.uk/samis/urd/sits.urd/run/siw_ipp_lgn.login?process=siw_ipp_app&code1=RDUPH-FP01&code2=0012
More information about applying for a PhD at Bath may be found here:
http://www.bath.ac.uk/guides/how-to-apply-for-doctoral-study/
Anticipated start date: Between 1 June 2018 and 1 October 2018.
Applications may close earlier than the advertised deadline if a suitable candidate is found; therefore, early application is strongly recommended.
Project keywords (A-Z): Chemistry, Chiral Metamaterials, Chiral molecules
Chirality, Chiroptical effects, Circular Dichroism, Laser, Magnetism, Metamaterials
Metasurfaces, Molecular sensing, Molecules, Multiphoton effects, Nano, Nanomaterials, Nanophotonics, Nanoscience, Nanostructures, Nanotechnology, Nonlinear Optics, Optical Activity, Optics, Photonic Materials, Photonics, Physics, Plasmonics, Second harmonic generation, Second harmonic generation, Ultrafast optics
References
[1] Chiral Nanomaterials and Chiral Light, V. K. Valev Optics & Photnics News 27, 35-41 (2016)
[2] Chirality and Chiroptical Effects in Metal Nanostructures: Fundamentals and Current Trends, J. T. Collins, C. Kuppe, D. C. Hooper, C. Sibilia, M. Centini, V. K. Valev Adv. Optical Mater. 5, 1700182 (2017)
[3] Chirality and Chiroptical Effects in Plasmonic Nanostructures: Fundamentals, Recent Progress, and Outlook, V. K. Valev, J. J. Baumberg, C. Sibilia and T. Verbiest Adv. Mater. 25, 2517-2534 (2013).