Superradiant Sr clock

Location: University of Amsterdam Contact person: PI Florian Schreck, Benedikt Heizenreder Group website: www.strontiumBEC.com

Description: You will help to develop a new kind of optical clock: a continuously operating superradiant clock. The frequency output of this clock is a laser beam, created by emitting light directly on the clock transition. This can be achieved by combining our ultracold atomic beam technology [Nature 606, 683 (2022)] with cavity-enhanced coupling of the atoms. One of the key ingredients for reaching this goal is highly efficient laser cooling. This project focuses on designing and constructing a new 689-nm laser cooling laser source. You will design and assemble the optical setup, and learn how to work with locking electronics. You will get the unique opportunity to not only work with an ultra-stable, high-finesse optical cavity and a spectroscopy lock setup, but also learn how to remove servo-induced noise to push the system to its absolute limits. This project will make you ready for many challenges in atomic, molecular and optical physics in your career.

Prerequisite knowledge: bachelor of physics plus one year of courses in a master track, ideally focused on atomic, molecular and optical physics.
Internship period and planned duration: master thesis, ~10 months, starting anytime, e.g. autumn 2023