PHD Student Vacancy in NWO-funded Perspectief programme Optical Wireless Superhighways
The Programme
In the NWO-funded Perspectief programme Optical Wireless Superhighways, new perspectives can be opened for wireless communication which will offer unprecedented capacity, connection density, privacy, and energy efficiency. Five universities and a variety of industries are joining forces to explore these opportunities at all length scales: ranging from ultra-long links between satellites, to short links within indoor rooms. We are looking for enthusiastic PhD students to join our programme.
For the area of secure communication, we are inviting candidates having a solid background in quantum optics, optical communication, or integrated photonics or related, as for instance learned from a successfully finished MSc in Physics with a relevant MSc project.
Your Project
In this project, focusing on physical layer security, we will demonstrate authentication for quantum and classical communication links with Physical Unclonable Functions (PUFs), remotely read out via a single-spatial-mode. We will use a new class of PUFs that can be read out through standard optical fibres or free-space links. Our implementation of single-mode PUFs exploits the time/frequency domain for the encoding challenge / response space. Together with the fabrication of PUFs, we will develop tools to generate challenge-forming few-photon light pulses and to validate PUF responses at the few-photon level, with the aim of a proof-of-principle demonstration using the terrestrial free-space optical link developed by consortium partners.
Supervisor, host group, collaborators.
Your research will be performed within the newly established Adaptive Quantum Optics (AQO) chair [www.utwente.nl/aqo] in the MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology at the University of Twente. Your supervisor will be Prof. Pepijn Pinkse (AQO). We work closely together with our colleagues in the program, especially at the TU/e. We hope to fill this position in the beginning of 2022.
Our offer
The University of Twente offers a stimulating work environment in an area of applied, forefront research. When fulfilling a PhD position at the UT, you will get the status of junior scientist. You will have an employment contract for the duration of 4 years and can participate in all employee benefits the UT offers. The gross monthly salary starts with € 2443,- in the first year and increases to € 3122,- in the fourth year of your employment. Additionally, the University of Twente provides excellent facilities for professional and personal development, a holiday allowance (amount to 8%), an end of year bonus of 8.3%. A high-quality training programme is part of the agreement. The research has to result in a PhD thesis at the end of the employment period.
Questions regarding these positions can be directed to Pepijn Pinkse. Please send your application with c.v. (preferable with contact information for at least two academic references) to the group secretary, Nicole Meinster, AQO@utwente.nl.
More info
On the workgroup: https://www.utwente.nl/en/tnw/aqo/research/#physical-unclonable-keys-pi-pinkse
Relevant publications:
Velsink, M. C., Amitonova, L. V. , & Pinkse, P. W. H. (2021). Spatiotemporal focusing through a multimode fiber via time-domain wavefront shaping. Optics express, 29(1), 272-290. https://doi.org/10.1364/OE.412714
Uppu, R. , Wolterink, T. A. W. , Goorden, S. A., Chen, B., Skoric, B. , Mosk, A. , & Pinkse, P. W. H. (2019). Asymmetric Cryptography with Physical Unclonable Keys. Quantum Science and Technology, 4(4), [045011]. https://doi.org/10.1088/2058-9565/ab479f
More on: https://www.utwente.nl/en/tnw/aqo/publications/