Department Of Physics &Astronomy.

PhDProjects2015.•Astronomyandastrophysics•Biologicalphysics•Inorganicsemiconductors•Particlephysicsandparticleastrophysics•Softmatterphysics

HereinSheffield,weprovideavibrantandfriendlyenvironmentforpostgraduatestudy,offeringyoutheopportunitytocarryoutresearchonthecuttingedgeofphysicsandastronomy.Wehavehighlyactiveresearchgroupsinawiderangeofareas,bothfundamentaltoapplied,andhaveaninternationalreputationforthequalityofourresearch.

WehaveanumberofopportunitiesacrossourfiveresearchareasforresearcherslookingtostarttheirPhDin2015.Onthefollowingpagesyoucanfindoutmoreabouteachoftheseprojectsandgetcontactdetailsforsupervisors.Whenyouhavefoundaprojectyouwanttoapplyfor,youcanapplyforoneoftheseopportunitiesusingtheUniversity’sapplicationformatwww.sheffield.ac.uk/postgraduate/research

Forthelastestpostgraduateresearchopportunitiesgotowww.sheffield.ac.uk/physics/postgraduate-admissions/phd

Forinformationaboutpostgraduatefundinggoto www.sheffield.ac.uk/physics/postgraduate-admissions/funding

Astronomy and astrophysicsForgeneralenquiriescontactProfessorCliveTadhunter:c.tadhunter@sheffield.ac.uk

• High-speedastrophysicswithULTRACAMandULTRASPEC

• Clouds,stormsandaurorae

• Theenvironmentsofstarandplanetformation

• SingleorbinaryoriginofWolf-Rayetstars?Whichmodeisdominant

• Howdoyoumakeastarexplode?

• Theclimateofblackholegrowth

• Howgoodisthefar-IRasatracerofstarformationactivityinAGNhostgalaxies?

• StellarkinematicsofAGNhostgalaxies

• TheimpactoftheactivityonthehostgalaxiesofluminousAGN

Biological physicsForgeneralenquiriescontactProfessorJamieHobbs:jamie.hobbs@sheffield.ac.uk

• Modellingfluidstructureinteractionsduringciliabeating

• Themechanicsofshapechangeinplants

• Modellingforcegenerationinendocytosis

• Modellingmetastasisofbreastcancercells

Inorganic semiconductorsForgeneralenquiriescontactProfessorMauriceSkolnick:m.skolnick@shef.ac.uk

• Quantumprecisionmetrologyandimaging

• Resourcecreationformeasurement-basedquantumcomputing

• Photonicswith2Dmaterialsbeyondgraphene

• Magneticresonancestudiesofsemiconductorquantumdotsforquantuminformationapplications

• Semiconductorquantumopticalcircuits

• Theoryofquantummicrocavitypolaritons

Particle physics and particle astrophysicsForgeneralenquiriescontactProfessorNeilSpooner:n.spooner@sheffield.ac.uk

• InclusivesupersymmetrysearcheswithATLAS

• Searchforsupersymmetricpartnersofthebottomandtopquarks

• PreparationforphysicsatthehighluminosityLHC

• SearchingforsupersymmetricneutralhiggsbosonswiththeATLASExperimentattheCERNLargeHadronCollider

• Experimentaldarkmatter–DRIFTDirectionalProgramme

• SearchfordarkmatterannualmodulationattheSouthPole–DM-ICEProject

• Liquidargondetectorsforneutrinooscillationexperimentsandprotondecay

• Particledetectorsforenergy,medicine,climatechangeandsecurityindustry

• Ionisationcoolingofmuons

• Highpowertargetstudies

• StudyingneutrinooscillationswiththeT2KExperiment

• CO2storagemonitoringusingcosmicrays

• NeutrinooscillationstudiesusingtheLBNEdetector

• NeutrinooscillationmeasurementswithT2K

• Neutrino-nucleusinteractions

• SupernovaneutrinosinTITUSandHyper-K

• GravitationalwavesearcheswithLIGO/GEO600/Virgo

• DarkmattersearchwiththeLZexperiment

• NeutrinooscillationstudyandprotondecaysearchwithLBNE

• Cosmic-raymuonsindifferentapplications

• Detectionofcontrabandexplosivesusingneutronactivation

Soft matter physicsForgeneralenquiriescontactProfessorDavidLidzey:d.g.lidzey@sheffield.ac.uk

• Usingnanoparticlestocontrolmicrostructureinpolymerblends

• Innovativeelectrolyte-gatedthinfilmtransistors

• Ultrafastsingletexcitonfissionincarotenoids

• Ultrafastspectroscopyofsinglecrystalorganicsemiconductors

• Understandingdegradationmechanismsinpolymerandperovskitesolarcells

• Polaritonphysicsinorganicsemiconductormicrocavities

• Simulationstudiesofliquidcrystalsordering

Astronomy and astrophysicsWeofferbothdepartmentalandScienceandTechnologyFacilitiesCouncil(STFC)fundedstudentships,whichlastforthree-to-fouryears.Fornon-UKstudents,eligibilityregulationscanbefoundontheSTFCwebsite.DepartmentalstudentshipsareparticularlysuitedtoapplicantsresidentintheEuropeanUnion,butnon-EUbasedstudentsmayalsobeconsidered.InterviewingisexpectedtobegininFebruary2015.Candidatesshouldsubmittheirapplicationsassoonaspossible.ForgeneralenquiriescontactProfessorCliveTadhunter:c.tadhunter@sheffield.ac.uk

Visitwww.sheffield.ac.uk/physics/research/astrophysicsformoreinformation.

High-speedastrophysicswithULTRACAMandULTRASPECULTRACAMisahigh-speed,triple-beamimagingphotometerbuiltbySheffield/Warwick/UKATCforthestudyofastrophysicsonfasttimescales.ExtremeastrophysicalconditionscanbefoundinourGalacticneighbourhoodbystudyingthecompactremnantsofstars:whitedwarfs,neutronstarsandblackholes.Thedynamicaltimescalesofcompactobjectsrangefromsecondstomilliseconds,whichmeansthatmuchofthevariabilityobservedfromthemoccursonthesetimescales.Existingcommon-userinstrumentationontheworld’smajortelescopesisunabletoobtainhightime-resolutiondata,whichiswhywehavedevelopedULTRACAMandULTRASPEC.TheaimofthisPhDprojectwillbetoexploittheseuniqueinstrumentsonthe4.2mWHT,8.2mVLTand3.5mNTTtostudyphysicsinextremeconditions,suchasaccretionontoblackholes,thestructureofwhitedwarfs,theevolutionofclosebinarystars,andthephysicsofpulsars.

Contact:ProfVikDhillon(vik.dhillon@sheffield.ac.uk)orDrStuartLittlefair(s.littlefair@sheffield.ac.uk)

Clouds,stormsandauroraeTheoptical/infraredvariabilityoflowmassstarsandbrowndwarfsisstartingtorevealastartlingrangeofbehaviours.Observationsindicatethepresenceofgiantstormsoutsideoursolarsystem,andalsothepresenceofauroramanythousandsoftimesmorepowerfulthanthoseseeninoursolarsystem.Whatisnotyetclearishowcommoneachofthesephenomenaare.Inthisproject,youwillinvestigatewhetherstormsorauroraedominatethevariabilityofbrowndwarfs.

Contact:DrStuartLittlefair(s.littlefair@sheffield.ac.uk)

TheenvironmentsofstarandplanetformationYoungstarsareoftenfoundinhigh-densityenvironments,thismeansthatencountersbetweenyoungstarscanbecommonandthiswillchangetheirbinarypropertiesandaffectplanet-formingdiscs.APhDwouldinvolveinvestigatingvariouscomputationalandstatisticalaspectsofyoungstarsandtheirenvironments.Theseincludedynamicalandhydrodynamicalsimulationsofstellardynamics,statisticalmeasuresofcomplexdistributions,examiningandinterpretingbothobservational,simulatedand‘fake’data.

Contact:DrSimonGoodwin(s.goodwin@sheffield.ac.uk)

SingleorbinaryoriginofWolf-Rayetstars?WhichmodeisdominantWolf-RayetstarsaretheevolveddescendantsofmassiveOBstars,revealingtheproductsofHorHeburningattheirsurfaces.Theirhydrogenenvelopesarestrippedawayeitherthroughdensestellarwindsofveryhighmassstarsorviamasstransfertotheinitialsecondarystarinaclosebinary.ThisprojectwillexploittheenvironmentofWolf-RayetstarsintheMilkyWay,MagellanicCloudsandothernearbystarforminggalaxiestoassesswhichofthesemechanismsisdominant.

Contact:ProfPaulCrowther(paul.crowther@sheffield.ac.uk)

Howdoyoumakeastarexplode?Supernovaearemassiveexplosions,associatedwiththedeathsofcertaintypesofstars.ThephysicalconditionsinvolvedinexplodingastarrepresentsomeofthemostextremeconditionsfoundintheUniverse.WorkingouthowastarexplodesgivesuscrucialinsightintoextremephysicsandtheimportantrolesupernovaeplayintheUniverse.Thegeometriesoftheseeventsserveasakeyindicatoroftheunderlyingexplosion,andthisprojectisconcernedwithobservingtheshapesofthesesupernovaedirectlyandlookingforthetell-talesignsofhowitblewup.

Contact:DrJustynMaund( j.maund@sheffield.ac.uk)

TheclimateofblackholegrowthUnderstandinghowgalaxiesliketheMilkyWayhaveevolvedtotheirpresentstateistheprimarygoalofextragalactic

astronomyresearch.Amongthemainsourcesofuncertaintyinourunderstandingofgalaxyevolutionishowthesupermassiveblackholes(hereafter,BHs)thatresideattheheartofallgalaxieshaveinfluencedthisprocess.ItisbecomingincreasinglyclearthatamajorhurdleinconstraininganycorrelationsbetweenBHgrowthrateandothergalaxypropertiesisthestochastic,rapidlyvaryingnatureofBHgrowth,whichmasktheunderlyingphysicalconnectionsbetweenBHgrowthandothergalaxyproperties(muchinthesamewaythatday-to-dayvariationsintheweathermasklong-termchangesinEarth’sclimate).Inthisproject,wewilltheapplynewstatisticaltechniquestocombinedatafromthelatestgenerationofcosmologicalsimulationswithobservationaldatafromleadingtelescopestoovercomethesevariationsandrevealthetrueunderlyinglinksbetweenBHgrowthandtheirhostgalaxies.

Contact:DrJamesMullaney( j.mullaney@sheffield.ac.uk)

Howgoodisthefar-IRasatracerofstarformationactivityinAGNhostgalaxies?Inordertounderstandthelinksbetweenblackholegrowthandgalaxyevolutionitiscrucialtohavea“clean”indicatorofthestarformationactivityinAGNhostgalaxies.Thethermalfar-infraredcontinuumemissionhasbeenproposedassuchanindicator,howeverrecentworkbytheSheffieldgrouphassuggestedthatasubstantialproportionofthefar-IRcontinuummayradiatedbykpc-scaledustthatisheatedbytheAGNratherthanbyregionsofstarformation.ThisprojectwillusedeepobservationstakenwiththeHST,Spitzer,HerschelandALMAtelescopestodirectlyquantifythecontributionofAGNheateddustatfar-IRwavelengths,andhenceassesswhetherthefar-IRcontinuumistrulyagoodindicatorofstarformationactivityinAGNhostgalaxies.

Contact:ProfCliveTadhunter(c.tadhunter@sheffield.ac.uk)

StellarkinematicsofAGNhostgalaxiesInordertounderstandhowAGNarelinkedtogalaxyevolutionitiscrucialtodeterminethestellarkinematicalpropertiesoftheirhostgalaxies.PreviousattemptstomeasurestellarkinematicsofAGNhostgalaxiesatopticalwavelengthshavebeenhamperedbysubstantialemissionlinecontaminationofprominentstellarabsorptionfeatures.Thisprojectinvolvesusingnear-IRobservationsoftheCObandheads,whichdonotsufferfromsuchcontamination,todetermineaccuratestellarkinematicsforsamplesofpowerfulradiogalaxiesandnarrowlineSeyfert1galaxies.

Contact:ProfCliveTadhunter(c.tadhunter@sheffield.ac.uk)

TheimpactoftheactivityonthehostgalaxiesofluminousAGNThereisincreasingspeculationthatluminousAGNcanaffecttheevolutionoftheirhostgalaxiesbydrivingpowerfuloutflowsthatremovegasfromthecentralregionsofthegalaxiesandhaltfurtherstarformation.However,directobservationalevidenceforsuchoutflowsiscurrentlylacking.Thisprojectwillusehighqualityoptical/IRspectraforcarefullychosensamplesofpowerfulAGNtoquantifythetruesignificanceofAGN-inducedoutflows,providinganimportantinputtogalaxyevolutionmodels.

Contact:ProfCliveTadhunter(c.tadhunter@sheffield.ac.uk)

Biological physicsForgeneralenquiriescontactProfessorJamieHobbs:jamie.hobbs@sheffield.ac.uk

Visitimagine.group.shef.ac.ukformoreinformation.

ModellingfluidstructureinteractionsduringciliabeatingInthelungs,ciliadrivetheflowofthemucusfilmwhichactstocleartheairwaysofunwantedparticlesandmolecules.Aspartofalargerprojectdevelopingmodelsforrelatingthestructureofthemucusproteinswiththeflowofthemucusfilm,wewilldevelopmodelsforhowthebackandforthmotionoftheciliaresultsinthefluidflowofthemucusfilm,payingparticularattentiontothetypeofflowfieldthatthattheygenerate.WewillusetheLatticeBoltzmannmethodtomodelfluidandtheLatticeSpringmethodtomodelthecilia,withakeyaspectoftheprojectbeingthedevelopmentofmethodsforcouplingthetwotogetherwhilstensuringtheconservationofmomentumandenergy.

Contact:ProfNigelClarke(n.clarke@sheffield.ac.uk)

ThemechanicsofshapechangeinplantsUnderstandingbiologyrequiresknowledgeofthephysicalnatureofthecellularconstituentsoflivingorganisms.Plantscontainspecialisedpairsofcellswhichformpores(stomata)whichhavetheabilitytoopenandclosetoallowgasfluxintoandoutoftheleaf.Weareinterestedinunderstandinghowthemechanicalstructureofthecellwallsetsthedynamicpropertiesofthesystem.WearelookingforaPhDstudentwithaninterestinapplyingadvancedAtomicForceMicroscopytechniquestoquantifyingthemechanicsoftheselivingcellsand,usingmathematicalapproaches,developingmodelstolinkthephysicsofthematerialtobiologicalfunction.

Contact:ProfJamieHobbs( jamie.hobbs@sheffield.ac.uk)

ModellingforcegenerationinendocytosisEndocytosisisaprocessinwhichbiologicalcellstakeinnano-sizedparticlesbyengulfingthemwithmembrane.Apieceofmembraneistakeninwardsformingamembranetubetensofnanometerslongwhichthenpinchesoffintoavesicleinsidethecell.Theproteinactinisrequiredforendocytosisbutitsroleisnotyetunderstood.Itisthoughtthatthepolymerisationofactinfilamentsgeneratestheforcesneededtoformthemembranetube.Suchforceswilldependonthegeometryofactin.Theaimofthistheoreticalprojectwillbetopredictwhatactingeometryisnecessarytogeneratetherequiredforces.Wewillcalculatetheforcegeneratedfordifferentgeometricalorganisationsofactinfilaments.Wewillcomparetheforcesgeneratedbyparallelactinfilaments,actinbundles(whereindividualparallelfilamentsareattachedtogether)andbranchedactinnetworks.Wewillalsoconsiderthescissionstageoftheprocesswhenthemembranetubeispinchedoffintoavesicle.Actinisalsoinvolvedatthisstagealongwithotherproteinsbutthemechanismofforcegenerationisunknown.Wewillinvestigatethisbymodellingscission.ThetheoreticalworkwillbedoneincollaborationwiththeexperimentalgroupofProfKathrynAyscoughinthedepartmentofBiomedicalScience.ExperimentsperformedinKathryn’slabwillinformourmodellingandourmodellingwillinformfutureexperiments.

Contact:DrRhodaHawkins(rhoda.hawkins@sheffield.ac.uk)

ModellingmetastasisofbreastcancercellsSomeprimarytumourcellscanmigrateoutoftheprimarytumourtoadifferentsiteinthebodyleadingtotheformationofsecondarytumours.Advancedbreastcancerisassociatedwithbonemetastases.Cellmigrationisaffectedbythegeometryandmechanicalpropertiesoftheenvironmentacellismovingin.Thisprojectwillbuildonexistingmodelsofcellmigrationmechanisms,applyingthemtothebonemicro-environment.Simplifiedanalyticalmodelswillbeusedincombinationwithcomputationalsimulationstoaddresscomplexgeometries.Theprojectwillbeundertakenincollaborationwithexperimentalgroupsinphysics(JamieHobbs)andoncology(NicolaBrownandIngunnHolen).Thisprojectisexpectedtostartin2016.

Contact:DrRhodaHawkins(rhoda.hawkins@sheffield.ac.uk)

Inorganic semiconductorsOurhighlyactivegrouphasmorethan20PhDstudentsinvolvedinresearchonavarietyoftopicsintheareaofsemiconductornanostructures.In2015,weareseekingstudentsforthefollowingprojects,withfundingavailableforbothUKandEUcandidates.Atanyparticulartimetheremayalsobeassociatedpostdocpositions.ForgeneralenquiriescontactProfessorMauriceSkolnick:m.skolnick@sheffield.ac.uk

Visitwww.sheffield.ac.uk/physics/research/inorganicformoreinformation.

QuantumprecisionmetrologyandimagingScienceproceedsbyincreasinglyprecisemeasurements,andimagingisamongthemostprominentofmeasurementtechniques.However,weknowthatwecannotmakeourmeasurementsarbitrarilyprecise.Inthistheoreticalphysicsproject,youwillstudythefundamentallimitsoftheprecisionsthatcanbeachievedusingquantummechanics,anddevelopnewtechniquesthatachievethislevelofprecision.Inaddition,wewillstudytheroleofentanglementinquantummetrologyandimaging,andperhapsshedsomelightonthefoundationalquestionsthatstillplaguequantumtheory.Iamlookingforanenthusiasticstudentwithatheoreticalphysicsormathematicsdegreeandagoodfourthyearundergraduate-levelunderstandingofquantummechanics.

Contact:DrPieterKok(p.kok@sheffield.ac.uk)

Resourcecreationformeasurement-basedquantumcomputingComputersbecomefastereveryyear,butthenumberofstepsinagivencalculationremainsthesame.Bycontrast,quantumcomputerscanachieveaspectacularspeedupbyreducingthenumberofstepsinthecomputation,thuspromisingafundamentalchangeincomputinganditsapplications.Onepossiblequantumcomputerdesignisso-calledmeasurement-basedquantumcomputing,inwhichthecomputationproceedsviasuccessivemeasurementsonalargeentangledresourcecalledaclusterstate.Inthistheoreticalphysicsproject,youwillstudyhowtocreatesuchresourcestatesefficientlyandwithaminimalamountofnoiseinavarietyofphysicalsystems.Iamlookingforanenthusiasticstudentwithatheoreticalphysicsormathematicsdegreeandagoodfourthyearundergraduate-levelunderstandingofquantummechanics.

Contact:DrPieterKok(p.kok@sheffield.ac.uk)

Photonicswith2DmaterialsbeyondgrapheneApplicationsareinvitedforaPhDprojectinphotonicswith2Dmaterialsbeyondgraphene.Inthisprojectthestudentwilljoinanenergeticteamof4PhDstudentsand2postdocstoworkonexplorationofopticalpropertiesoflayeredcompoundsandnewdevicecomprisingthesematerials.Theisolationofsingle-atomiclayergraphenehasledtoasurgeofinterestinalargefamilyoflayeredcrystalswithstrongin-planebondsandweak,vanderWaals-like,interlayercoupling.Heterostructuresmadebystackingdifferentatomicallythin2Dcrystalsprovideaplatformforcreatingnewartificialmaterialswithpotentialfordiscoveriesandapplications.InthisPhDprojectyouwillstudy2Dmaterialswithawiderangeoffundamentalproperties,rangingfromsemi-tosuperconductors.YouwillworkonadvancingfabricationtechnologytoexplorethepotentialofvanderWaalsheterostructuresinphotonicsapplications.Youwillperformadvancedopticsexperimentsinthestate-of-the-artlaboratoriesoftheSheffieldgroup,workonnoveldevicefabricationinthemoderncleanroomandcollaboratewithleadinggroupsin2Dphysicsandtechnology.

Contact:ProfAlexanderTartakovskii(a.tartakovskii@sheffield.ac.uk)

MagneticresonancestudiesofsemiconductorquantumdotsforquantuminformationapplicationsThisexperimentalprojectfocusesonelectronandnuclearspinphysicsinnanometer-sizedsemiconductorquantumdots.Semiconductorquantumdotsareapromisinghardwarefortheemergingquantuminformationtechnologies:thespinwavefunctionoftheelectroncanbeusedtostoreandprocessquantuminformation.Theinteractionoftheelectronspinwiththespinsofatomicnucleiisamajorchallengeonthisway.Theaimofthisprojectistodevelopastate-of-the-artquantumlogicgatewhereelectronspinisisolatedfromnuclearspinsusingmagneticresonancepulses.Avarietyofexperimentaltechniqueswillbeinvolvedinthiswork:opticalspectroscopyandmicroscopy,radiofrequencyandmicrowavemagneticresonancespectroscopy,lowtemperature(liquidhelium)experimentsandhighmagneticfields.

Contact:DrEvgenyChekhovich(e.chekhovich@sheffield.ac.uk)

SemiconductorquantumopticalcircuitsAsaresultofafiveyearlargegrantaward(findoutmore)fromtheUKfundingagency,EPSRC,severalpositionsare

availableinhighlytopicalareasofsemiconductorphysicsandopticsresearch.Theseincludethephysicsofthefirstsemiconductorquantumopticalcircuits,novelmethodsforspinreadoutandnewtypesofsinglephotonsources.Alltopicshavetheopportunityforadvancedfabricationofnanoscalestructures,andinvolveparticipationinresearchattheleadingedgeofsemiconductorphysicsandphotonics.

Contact:ProfMauriceSkolnick(m.skolnick@shef.ac.uk)

TheoryofquantummicrocavitypolaritonsMicrocavitiesaredielectricstructureswhichtrapelectromagneticfieldsinaverysmallregionofspace.Whenthisfieldismadetointeractwithasemiconductormaterial,theexcitationsofthesystemare‘particles’knownaspolaritons.Polaritonshavemanyinterestingproperties;theyundergoacondensationsimilartoaBEC,whichshowsbehaviouranalogoustoasuperfluid.Inthisproject,weshallbelookingatthequantummechanicalpropertiesofthepolaritoncondensatetoinvestigatewhetheritcanshowinterestingquantumopticalbehavioursuchassqueezing.Althoughtheprojectistheoretical,involvinganalyticalandcomputationalwork,thereisastrongexperimentalpolaritonactivityinthedepartment,providingplentyofopportunitiestocollaborateindevelopingquantumopticaltechnologies.Thisprojectwillsuitaphysicsgraduatewithgoodmathematicalabilitiesandsomebackgroundincomputationalwork.

Contact:ProfDavidWhittaker(d.m.whittaker@sheffield.ac.uk)

Particle physics and particle astrophysicsOurexperimentalworkfallsintofourmaincategories:experimentalhighenergyphysics,thesearchfordarkmatter,neutrinoastrophysics,andneutrinophysics,includingneutrinofactoryresearchanddevelopment.ForgeneralenquiriescontactProfessorNeilSpooner:n.spooner@sheffield.ac.uk

Visitwww.sheffield.ac.uk/physics/research/pppaformoreinformation.

InclusivesupersymmetrysearcheswithATLASThestudentwilldeveloptoolstotestsupersymmetryusingmultijet+missingETdecaysignatures.TheunderstandingofdetectorresponsewillbecrucialatthebeginningofATLASoperationtoseparaterealphysicseffectsfrominstrumentalbackgrounds.Thestudentwillalsoworkontrackingreconstructiontoenhancejetalgorithmsusinganenergyflowapproach.

ContactProfDanTovey(d.r.tovey@sheffield.ac.uk)

SearchforsupersymmetricpartnersofthebottomandtopQuarksThestudentwilldevelopananalysistosearchforsupersymmetricpartnersofthebottom-andtop-quarkswithATLASandwillapplythemtothelatestdatafromtheexperiment.Theprojectwillfocusoneventswheretwob-quarksarereconstructedtogetherwithlargemissingtransversemomentum.ThischanneloffersthebestpossibilityfordiscoveringsbottomandstopsquarksattheLHC,withstopsquarksthemselvesexpectedtobesignificantlylighter,andhencemoreobservable,thanotherstronglyinteractingSUSYparticles.ThisprojectthereforeoffersthestudentthepossibilityofmakingaNobelprizewinningdiscovery!

Contact:DrDavideCostanzo(d.costanzo@sheffield.ac.uk)

PreparationforphysicsatthehighluminosityLHCTheLargeHadronColliderwillbeupgradedtodeliverupto10timesmoreproton-protoncollisionsthanatpresent.TheATLASexperimentwillalsobeupgradedtofollowthetechnologicalchallengeconnectedwiththehighdensityoffinalstateparticles.ThestudentwillworkonthetestingofthemodulesandsensorsthatwillbedevelopedfortheupgradedATLASinnerdetector(ITK).PartoftheprojectwillalsotostudytheexpectedperformancesoftheITKtopredictwhattheultimatereachforsupersymmetrysearchesattheLHCis.

Contact:DrDavideCostanzo(d.costanzo@sheffield.ac.uk),DrTrevorVickey(trevor.vickey@cern.ch)

SearchingforsupersymmetricneutralhiggsbosonswiththeATLASexperimentattheCERNLargeHadronColliderIt’spossiblethatthe125GeVHiggsbosondiscoveredbytheATLASandCMSExperimentsisonlyoneofseveralneutrally-chargedHiggsbosonspredictedbytheoriesbeyondtheStandardModel.ThestudentwilldevelopanalysisstrategiestosearchfortheproductionofadditionalneutralHiggsbosons,andthencarryoutthesesearchstrategiesontheATLASRun-II13TeVcollisiondata.SearcheswillfocusonHiggsdecaysintotwotauleptons,sinceastrongcouplingispredictedbytheMinimalSupersymmetricStandardModel.Thestudentwillparticipateindevelopingalgorithmsfortauleptonidentification,andwillalsobeexpectedtoplayaroleinmaintenanceandoperationoftheATLASSemiConductorTrackerduringRun-IIoftheCERNLargeHadronCollider.

Contact:DrTrevorVickey(trevor.vickey@cern.ch)

Experimentaldarkmatter–DRIFTDirectionalProgrammeHardwaredevelopment,constructionand/ordataanalysiswithUScollaboratorsofthedirectionsensitiveDRIFTIIandDRIFTIIIdarkmatterexperimentsincluding:analysistosearchforSupersymmetricdarkmatterparticleswithadirectionalsignal;developmentofultra-lowbackgroundgasdetectorsandreadoutelectronicsschemes;constructionofDRIFTIII,theworld’slargestdirectionalDMdetector;developmentofanalysiscodefortrackreconstruction;optimizationanddataanalysisforextractionofneutralinolimitsandtrackdirectionalinformation;possibilitytoworkinLosAngelesandNewMexico(USA).

Contact:ProfNeilSpooner(n.spooner@sheffield.ac.uk)

SearchfordarkmatterannualmodulationattheSouthPole–DM-ICEProjectParticipateinthesearchforagalacticparticledarkmattersignalsusingannualmodulationwiththeDM-ICEexperiment2.5kmbelowtheSouthPole,includingoneormoreofthefollowing:analysisofdatafromthe17kg

prototypescintillatornowrunningintheice;developmentofthenew250kgultra-lowbackgrounddetectorbeingbuiltfordeploymentattheSouthPole;developmentandtestofnewsodiumiodidecrystalsforthedetector;possibilitytoparticipateindeploymentactivitiesattheAntarcticSouthPole.

Contact:ProfNeilSpooner(n.spooner@sheffield.ac.uk)

LiquidargondetectorsforneutrinooscillationexperimentsandprotondecayDevelopmentofliquidargondetectorsfornext-generationlongbase-lineneutrinooscillationexperimentsincludingthemulti-nationalLBNEbeingbuiltintheUS:designandconstructionofliquidargontestdetectors;applicationofchargeandlightreadoutdevices(Siliconphoto-sensors,photomultipliers,GEMsandmicromegas);developmentofpurificationtechniques;measurementofliquidargonparametersincludingelectrondrift;beamtestsandsimulationsofsensitivitytobackgroundparticlesandneutrinos;participationinLBNE;possibilitytoworkatUCLA(LosAngeles)andFermilab(Chicago).

Contact:ProfNeilSpooner(n.spooner@sheffield.ac.uk)

Particledetectorsforenergy,medicine,climatechangeandsecurityindustryDevelopmentofnoveldetectorsformuontomographytoallowmonitoringofCO2storedundergroundtocombatclimatechange,medicalpositronemissiontomographyusingnovelliquidargontechnologyordirectionalneutrondetectionfornationalsecurityapplicationsusinggas-baseddetectors.Projectsindetectorhardwaredevelopmentandsimulationsoranalysiswithlinkstoindustry.

Contact:ProfNeilSpooner(n.spooner@sheffield.ac.uk)

IonisationcoolingofmuonsAfutureNeutrinoFactoryorMuonColliderwilluseintensebeamsofstoredmuons.Asmuonsareproducedastertiaryparticles(fromthedecayofpionswhichthemselvescomefromaprotoncollision),theyhavetobe“cooled”beforeinjectionintoanaccelerator.Theshortlifetime(~2μs)meansthatnovelcoolingtechniquesarerequired.TheinternationalMuonIonisationCoolingExperiment(MICE)isstudyingsuchtechniques,andSheffieldhasaleadingroleintheproject.APhDstudentworkingonMICEwillgainexperienceofhardwareandsoftwaredevelopment,takingpartinarunningUK-basedexperimentbutattendingmeetingswithcollaboratorsaroundtheworld.

Contact:DrChrisBooth(c.booth@sheffield.ac.uk)

HighpowertargetstudiesAnumberoffutureparticlephysicsprojectsrequiremulti-MWprotonbeamsinteractingwithatarget.TheseincludeNeutrinoFactories,MuonCollidersandhighintensityneutronsources.ThereisanopeningforastudenttojointheSheffieldteamsimulatingshockinhighpowertargets,modellingparticleproductionandtrappingandstudyinginducedradiationeffectsfrominteractionsofahighpowerbeamwithtarget,supportstructureanddump.

Contact:DrChrisBooth(c.booth@sheffield.ac.uk)

StudyingneutrinooscillationswiththeT2KExperimentTheSheffieldT2Kgrouparecurrentlyinvolvedinanalysesofso-calledCCpi0events,i.e.chargedcurrenteventsthatcontainoneneutralpion,animportantchannelwhenunderstandingelectronneutrinoappearancesystematicerrors.ThegroupalsohasresponsibilityfortimingcalibrationintheND280detector.Thestudentwillalsohavetheopportunitytospendlongerperiodsoftime(typically6-12months)outatJ-PARCwheretheywillparticipateinshiftsworkontheT2KND280neardetectoratJ-PARCinJapan.

Contact:ProfLeeThompson(l.thompson@sheffield.ac.uk)

CO2storagemonitoringusingcosmicraysAsaresultofarecentlargegrantawardedbytheDepartmentofEnergyandClimateChange(DECC),thereisworktakingplaceintheSheffieldPPPAgrouptodesignanddevelopdetectorsforcosmicraymuonsthatcanbedeployedaroundthedepletedNorthSeaoilfieldsthatwillformmanyoftheproposedstoragesitesforcapturedcarbondioxide.ThisexperimentalPhDprogrammewillrevolvearoundthedevelopment,deploymentandoperationofnovelcosmicraydetectors,capableofoperatingatelevatedtemperaturesandinrestrictedvolumes.

Contact:ProfLeeThompson(l.thompson@sheffield.ac.uk)

NeutrinooscillationstudiesusingtheLBNEdetectorTheLongBaselineNeutrinoExperiment(LBNE)isbasedintheUSandisanextgenerationneutrinoexperimentthatwillstudythephenomenonofneutrinooscillationsinunprecedenteddetail.ThisPhDprojectfocussesonunderstandingtheperformanceoftheproposedliquidArgonfardetector(FD)aswellasworkingwithteamsintheUStodevelopreconstructionalgorithmsandcalibrationtechniquesforthedetector.

Contact:ProfLeeThompson(l.thompson@sheffield.ac.uk)

NeutrinooscillationmeasurementswithT2KT2Kisalong-baselineneutrinooscillationexperimentbasedinJapan.Theaimsoftheexperimentaretoimprovetheunderstandingofmuonneutrinooscillation(tobothelectronneutrinos,1-3mixing,andtauneutrinos,2-3mixing)andtoconstraintheCP-violationparameterdelta.Thestudentwillcontributetoneutrinooscillationmeasurementseitherdirectlyorbystudyingprocessesthatcontributetothesystematicerrorintheoscillationmeasurements.Thisprojectislikelytoinvolvespendingasignificantamountoftime(6-12months)inJapan.

Contact:DrSusanCartwright(s.cartwright@sheffield.ac.uk)

Neutrino-nucleusinteractionsAdominantcauseofsystematicerrorsinneutrinooscillationmeasurementsisourcurrentlackofagooddescriptionoftheneutrino-nucleuscross-section.BuildingonpastexperiencewithintheSheffieldT2Kgroup,thestudentwillworkonimprovingthedescriptionofneutrino-nucleusinteractionsinthesimulationsusedinT2Kandotherneutrinoexperiments.Thiswillinvolvedevelopinganunderstandingofthephysicalprocessesinvolvedandhowtheyareimplementedinthesimulations,andusingdatafromT2Kandotherneutrinoexperimentstotunethemodelstoimprovetheirdescriptionofthedata.

Contact:DrSusanCartwright(s.cartwright@sheffield.ac.uk)

SupernovaneutrinosinTITUSandHyper-KTheHyper-Kamiokandeexperimentisaproposedextremelylarge(Mtonscale)waterCherenkovneutrinodetectorinJapan.Hyper-Kwillactasthefardetectorforaproposednext-generationneutrinooscillationexperiment,butalsohasastrongresearchprogrammeinnon-acceleratorneutrinophysics.OneareainwhichHyper-KhasgoodpotentialisthestudyofneutrinosfromthenextGalacticcore-collapsesupernova.Thestudentwillworkonimplementingthemostup-to-datemodelsofcore-collapsesupernovaeintheHyper-Ksimulationandinvestigatingthesensitivitytothepropertiesofbothneutrinosandsupernovaeofferedbythedetectionofahypotheticalsupernovaatadistanceoforder10kpc.(ArealGalacticsupernovacannot,unfortunately,beguaranteedonthetimescaleofaPhDstudentship...)

Contact:DrSusanCartwright(s.cartwright@sheffield.ac.uk)

GravitationalwavesearcheswithLIGO/GEO600/VirgoTheHEPgroupatSheffieldincludesanactiveexperimentalgravitationalwaveresearchgroup,consistingoftwofacultymembers,apostdoctoralresearcher,andtwocurrentPh.D.students.WearemembersoftheLIGOscientificcollaboration,andareactiveindetectorcommissioning,detectorcharacterisationanddataanalysisinconnection

withtheLIGO,Virgo,andGEO600gravitationalwaveinterferometers.Inaddition,wehaveastrongroleintheGOTOdedicatedgravitational-waveopticalfollow-upinstrument,aimingatdetectingopticalcounterpartstogravitationalwavesignals.Ph.D.projectsinthegroupincludegravitationalwavedataanalysis,particularlyfastreal-timeanalysispipelinesandworkwiththeelectromagneticfollow-upgroupwithinLIGO,andtheGOTOopticalfollow-upproject.AdvancedLIGOisduetocomeon-lineforfirstsciencedatain2015,sothisisanexcitingtimetobeinvolvedingravitationalwaveinterferometery.

Contact:DrEdDaw(e.daw@sheffield.ac.uk)

DarkmattersearchwiththeLZexperimentUX-ZEPLIN(LZ)isaprojecttobuildandoperateahigh-sensitivitydarkmatterexperimentinthedeepmineatHomestake(USA)abletoprobemostoftheWIMPparameterspaceregionfreefromastrophysicalneutrinobackground.ThePPPAgroupattheSheffieldisinvolvedintheLZexperimentwithaprimeresponsibilityformodellingbackgroundradiation,simulatingthedetectionofvariousparticlesandimprovingthedetectordesign.Theconstructionphaseisexpectedtostartin2015anditisagoodtimeforaPhDstudenttobeinvolvedintheproject.

ThePhDprojectincludesMonteCarlomodellingoftheLZexperimentincludingitsbackground.Studentwillalsobeexpectedtocontributetothedetectorconstructionandtestsofdifferentparts,aswellastothemeasurementofradioactivecontaminationsindifferentmaterials.Thesuccessfulcandidateshouldhaveagoodknowledgeofparticlephysicsandprogrammingskills.Theknowledgeofnuclearphysicsandparticleastrophysicsisdesirable.

Contact:DrVitalyKudryavtsev(v.kudryavtsev@sheffield.ac.uk)

NeutrinooscillationstudyandprotondecaysearchwithLBNELBNEisalargeinternationalprojecttodesign,constructandoperateofmulti-kilotonscaleliquidargondetectorforneutrinophysics,astrophysicsandprotondecaysearch.ThedetectorwillbebuiltdeepundergroundintheHomestakemineintheUSA.ThePPPAgroupisinvolvedintheLBNEprojectwithoneoftheresponsibilitiestomodelbackgroundproducedbycosmic-raymuonsandinvestigatingthesensitivityoftheexperimentstodifferenttasks.ThisPhDprojectincludesMonteCarlosimulationsofmuonsandmuon-inducedcascadesfordifferentdetectordesigns,studyingdiscriminationbetweensignalandbackgroundeventsandevaluatingdetectorsensitivity.Thestudentwillalsobeexpectedtocontributetothedataanalysisfromthe35-tonprototypedetector.Thecandidateshouldhaveagoodknowledgeofparticlephysicsandprogrammingskills.Theknowledgeofnuclearphysicsandparticleastrophysicsisdesirable.

Contact:DrVitalyKudryavtsev(v.kudryavtsev@sheffield.ac.uk)

Cosmic-raymuonsindifferentapplicationsCosmic-raymuonsareknowntobeusefulinapplicationsbeyondparticleastrophysics.Theyhavehelpedtomapstructureofvolcanoesandfindingvoidsinvariousgeologicalstructures.Otherpossibleapplicationsincludestudiesofgeologicalrepositoriesincludingmonitoringcarboncapture,tracingillicitnuclearmaterialsetc.ThePPPAgroupattheUniversityofSheffield,incollaborationwithotherinstitutionsandindustrialpartners,pursuesawideprogrammerelatedtothesemuonapplications.ThisPhDprojectoffersanopportunityforastudenttoapplytheknowledgeofparticle/astroparticlephysicsanddetectortechnologyinotherareaswhicharelinkedtokeyproblemsofcontemporaryworld:atmosphericpollution,climatechange,nuclearsecurityetc.

Contact:DrVitalyKudryavtsev(v.kudryavtsev@sheffield.ac.uk)

DetectionofcontrabandexplosivesusingneutronactivationTheSheffieldPulsedNeutronFacilityhasbeensetuptoassesscargoscreeningstrategiesbasedonneutronactivationandinducedfission.Itisbasedonaninertialelectrostaticconfinementgeneratorusingdeuterium-tritiumfusiontoproducepulsesof14MeVneutrons.ThisgeneratorwasmanufacturedbyNSD-Fusion,nowNSD-Gradel,Luxembourg.Todate,thegeneratorhasbeenproventooperatereliablyandmanyofitscharacteristicshavebeenmeasured.Someofthepossiblecargoscreeningstrategieshavebeendemonstratedtoworkwithsimplesingledetectorsetups.Inparticularthethermalactivationofnitrogenasanindicatorofthepresenceofnitrogenousexplosivesisdetectablewithkilogramsurrogatesamples.Wewouldliketoextendthisworkbyengineeringanarrayofdetectorscapableofsimultaneousmeasurementofgammaraysoverawiderangeofenergiesupto12MeV.Additionallyfastandthermalneutronsshouldbemeasuredtoassessneutrontransparencyandthermalizationpropertiesofsamplecargoes.Thesedetectorswillbereadoutbyadataacquisitionsystemrecordingtheenergiesandtime-stampinghitsoveratimescaleconsiderablylongerthanthethermalizationtimeofthesystem.Itisintendedthatthefusionofthesedatastreamswillallowconsiderablymoreexactcharacterizationofpotentialthreatsthanasinglemeasurementwouldpermit.ExplosiveswillbeidentifiablebyCHNOratios,whilefissilenuclearmaterialswillbeidentifiablebydie-awayanalysiswhichwilldistinguishdelayedfissions.

Contact:DrJohnMcMillan( j.e.mcmillan@sheffield.ac.uk)

Soft matter physicsThesoftmatterphysicsgroupconductsresearch(bothexperimentalandtheoretical)intothephysicsandapplicationsofpolymers,organic-semiconductors,functionalnano-particles,biologicalmaterials,imagingandinstrumentation.ForgeneralenquiriescontactProfessorDavidLidzey:d.g.lidzey@sheffield.ac.uk

Visitwww.sheffield.ac.uk/physics/research/softmatterformoreinformation.

UsingnanoparticlestocontrolmicrostructureinpolymerblendsPhaseseparatedpolymerblendshavemicrostructuresatlengthscalesthataretypicallyoftheorderofmicrons.Theinclusionofnanoparticlescanarrestthegrowthofphaseseparateddomainsresultinginmuchfinerlengthscales.Thediffusiveequationofmotionsforthelocalconcentrationofthepolymersandthenanoparticleswillbecoupledtothethermodynamicsdrivingphaseseparationandtothehydrodynamicdescriptionoffluidflow.Theresultantpartialdifferentialequationswillbesolvednumerically,takingadvantageoftheparallelcapabilitiesofgraphicsprocessingunits.

Contact:ProfNigelClarke(n.clarke@sheffield.ac.uk)

Innovativeelectrolyte-gatedthinfilmtransistorsTheintroductionofelectrolytes,includingwater,asthegatemediumfororganicthinfilmtransistors(TFTs)hasopenedupmanifoldnewopportunitiesfortheirpracticalapplications.

WehereofferaPhDresearchpositiontoadvanceelectrolyte-gatedthinfilmtransistorsbyintroducinginnovativesemiconductors(SCs)intoelectrolyte-gatedTFTs.Wehavealreadydemonstratedwater-gatingoforganicnanowiresandZnO,andthecandidateshalltakethisresearchfurther.Possibilitiesareprecursor-routeSCsfromtheZincoxide(ZnO)family,nanostructuredSCsdepostitedfromthewater/oilinterface,orsolution-processedCuSCN.

Contact:DrMartinGrell(m.grell@sheffield.ac.uk)

UltrafastsingletexcitonfissionincarotenoidsInsolarcells,theabilitytoabsorbonephotonandharvesttwoelectronscanleadtointernalquantumefficienciesofupto200%.Thisispossibleusingorganicsemiconductorsviaaprocessknownas‘singletexcitonfission’(SEF),wheretheprimaryexcitedstate(singletexciton)cansplitintotwodistincttripletexcitonswhichcanbothbeharvested.

SEFhasalsobeenshowntooccurinnaturallyoccurringcarotenoidssuchasastaxanthinandzeaxanthin,butwehaverecentlydemonstratedthatcurrenttheorydoesnotadequatelydescribeSEFinthesesystems.

Theproposedprojectwillinvolveusingtime-resolvedultrafastspectroscopyinSheffield’snewlaserfacilitytostudySEFincarotenoids.Themainoutcomesoftheprojectwillbetwo-fold:

1. todevelopanewdescriptionofthisSEFprocessincollaborationwiththeoreticians,enablingfuturedesignofefficientSEFmaterialsforsolarcellapplications.

2. todeterminewhetherSEFincarotenoidshasabiologicalrole.

Contact:DrJennyClark( jenny.clark@sheffield.ac.uk)

UltrafastspectroscopyofsinglecrystalorganicsemiconductorsOrganicsemiconductorsareexcitingmaterials.Theyarenotonlystartingtocompetewithtraditional(opto)electronicmaterialsindeviceapplications,theyarealsointrinsicallysustainable.Solution-processedorganicphotovoltaics,forexample,use~10timeslessenergytoproducethananyotherPVtechnologyandareonlymadefromearth-abundantelements.

Untilrecently,itwasthoughtthattheproblemwithorganicsemiconductorswasdisorder,thoughttobeafundamentaldraw-backofsolution-based(i.e.sustainable,low-cost)depositiontechniques.Workinthelast4yearshaschangedthisparadigm.Solution-processedhighlyorderedsinglecrystalsnowdemonstratefield-effectmobilitesabove10cm2/Vs.Only10yearsagosuchultra-highmobilitiesatroomtemperatureinthinorganicfilmswouldhavebeenconsideredunachievablebymanyexpertsinthefield.

Thesenewultra-highmobilitythinfilmsposeaconsiderablechallengetoourunderstandingofchargeandenergytransport.Theyoperateinwhatisknownasthe‘intermediatecoupling’regimewhereenergyandchargetransfercanbedescribedasbeingsomewherebetweentheband-liketransferthatoccursinhighlyorderedinorganic

semiconductorsandthepurelyhoppingtransferthatoccursinverydisorderedsystems.

Inthisproject,youwillmeasurematerialsfromcollaboratorsinJapanusingSheffield’snewlaserfacilitytoattempttodescribetheenergytransportandradiativeandnon-radiativedeactivationintheintermediatecouplingregime.ItisexpectedthatyouwillcollaboratewiththeoreticiansintheUSAtodevelopmodelstointerpretthedata.

Contact:DrJennyClark( jenny.clark@sheffield.ac.uk)

UnderstandingdegradationmechanismsinpolymerandperovskitesolarcellsThelastfewyearshasseentremendousprogressinthedevelopmentofphotovoltaicsdevicesbasedonconjugatedpolymersandperovskitematerials.Suchmaterialscanbeprocessedfromsolutionintothin-films,offeringtheprospectofmanufacturingphotovoltaicdevicesoververylargeareasusingcomparativelycheapmaterialsandprocesses,inwhichtheamountofembodiedenergy(andcarbon)issubstantiallyreduced.Despitesuchprogress,suchdevicescanhaverelativelyshortlifetimes.ThisPhDprojectwilldeveloptechniquesandmethodologiestounderstandwhatthedegradationprocessesareinsuchsolarcells,andthenexploremethodstomitigatesuchdegradation.YouwillfabricatePVdevices,andthenuseaseriesofdifferenttestingchamberstoexploredevicelifetime-bothundersimulatedsunlight,andunderreal-worldconditionsattheSheffieldSolarFarm.Suchdevicetestingactivitieswillbecomplementedbyspectroscopicmeasurementsinwhichyouwillopticallyprobeboth‘fresh’and‘aged’devicesacrosstheirsurfaceinordertoidentifytheoriginoftheirdegradation.ThisisanexperimentalresearchprojectsuitableforPhysicists,MaterialScientists,ElectronicEngineersorPhysicalChemistswhowishtobuildacareerinthefieldsofphotovoltaicsandrenewableenergy.

Contact:ProfDavidLidzey(d.g.lidzey@sheffield.ac.uk)

PolaritonphysicsinorganicsemiconductormicrocavitiesAmicrocavityisastructureinwhichanopticallyactivesemiconductorisplacedbetweentwohighlyreflectivemirrors.Suchastructurequantizesthelocalelectromagneticfield,andconfinesphotonsintoaseriesofdiscreetopticalmodes.Withintheso-called‘strong-couplingregime’theconfinedcavityphotonsandtheelectronicexcitationsofthesemiconductorcannolongerbethoughtofasseparatestates,butrathercancoupletogethertoformnewquasi-particlestatestermed‘cavity-polaritons’.Polaritonsnecessarilyhaveverydifferentopticalpropertiesfromtheirconstituentpartsandareafascinatingtest-bedforfundamentalphysics;whentherelativedensityofpolaritonsinacavityexceedsacertainthreshold,thewavefunctionofsuchstatesallbecomephase-locked,resultingintheformationamacroscopicquantumobject.Suchpolariton‘condensates’havepotentialapplicationsinultra-lowthresholdlasers,optoelectronicsandultra-fastopticalswitches.Inthisproject,youwillhelpdevelopourongoingworkonpolaritonmicrocavitiesthatcontainmolecular(carbon-based)semiconductors.Inparticular,youwilluseanewultra-fastlasersystemtocharacterisetheopticalgainpropertiesoforganicsemiconductorthin-film.Youwillthenfabricatesuchsemiconductorsintoamicrocavity,andexplorethephysicsanddynamicsofthepolartioncondensates.ThisisanexperimentalresearchprojectsuitableforPhysicists,ElectronicEngineersorPhysicalChemistswhowishtobuildacareerinthefieldofphotonicsandoptoelectronics.

Contact:ProfDavidLidzey(d.g.lidzey@sheffield.ac.uk)

SimulationstudiesofliquidcrystalsorderingThistheoreticalstudentshipwouldbebasedintheDepartmentofPhysicsandAstronomyandwouldbeconcernedwithsimulatingthepropertiesofliquidcrystalsthatarestudiedexperimentallyintheDepartmentofMaterialsScienceandEngineeringinthegroupofProfessorUngarandDrZeng.Thefirstprojecttobestudiedwouldbetostudyaliquidcrystalwherethemoleculesorderinsquarearraysbuttherearetwosidechainsattachedtothemiddleofeachliquidcrystalmoleculesoeachsquarecontains4ofthesesidechains.Thetwosidechainsrepelsothereisatransitiontoanorderedphaseinwhichthesidechainshavesegregated.TheworkwoulduseMonteCarlosimulationstostudythecriticalbehaviouroccurringatthistransitiontocompareittothe2-dimensionalIsingmodel.Laterworkwouldinvolveastudythetimescaleoftheorderingdynamicsforliquidcrystalsandalsotostudynovelorderingofrhombuseswith120and60degreeanglesthatorderinhexagonalarraysandthesuperlatticesand“stripe”phasesthatresult.

Contact:ProfGillianGehring(g.gehring@sheffield.ac.uk),ProfGoranUngar(g.ungar@sheffield.ac.uk)andDrXiangbingZeng(x.zeng@sheffield.ac.uk)

If you would like any more information or have any questions, please contact our Postgraduate Research Administrator, Laura Oliver.

+44(0)1142223731physics-phd@sheffield.ac.uk

DepartmentofPhysicsandAstronomyTheUniversityofSheffieldHicksBuildingHounsfieldRoadSheffieldS37RHUnitedKingdom

www.sheffield.ac.uk/physics @UoSPHY