Our vision of advancing ultrafast metrology and its applications offers job opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students, doctoral candidates, and postdoctoral fellows. You can send your application (including your CV) to the group leader of any research area that matches your interests and skills.

Our team members benefit from the access to a world-class infrastructure, a substantial amount of know-how present in our very diverse group, as well as from various carrier-development opportunities offered by the Max Planck Society and the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich. In return, we expect our new colleagues to be willing to take on ambitious projects, accepting the risks that are unavoidable at the forefront of basic research.

  • attosecond spectroscopy 2.0
    M.Sc. // Spectral broadening and self-compression towards sub-cycle pulses

    This master's thesis project involves the characterization of spectral broadening and temporal compression of near-infrared pulses, from the 30-fs transform limit to sub-10 fs durations.

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    By exploring the nonlinear dynamics within various solid-state media, the project aims to gain insights into their behavior under high-intensity laser conditions and understand how these dynamics scale with pulse energy. Additionally, the project seeks to optimize the processes involved in spectral broadening, with a focus on achieving stability and optimizing output pulse duration. This research opportunity offers a chance to contribute to the field of laser physics, uncover fundamental aspects of spectral broadening, and pave the way for advancements in ultrafast laser applications.

    Only students enrolled at the LMU will be considered.

    Contact:
    Dr. Nicholas Karpowicz
    Email: nicholas.karpowicz@mpq.mpg.de

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  • Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics / Ultrafast Nanophotonics
    M.Sc. // Supercontinuum Generation of a High-Power 2.1 μm Laser Source and Subsequent Pulse Compression

    The HORUS (high-power OPCPA system for high repetition rate ultrafast spectroscopy) laser has been developed by our group at the Max Planck Institute of Quantum Optics and is one of the most powerful short-wavelength-infrared optical parametric chirped pulse amplifiers (OPCPA) in the world providing pulses with sub 20 fs (20x1015s) duration and up to 4 mJ of energy.

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    Our goal is to use this laser source for the generation of isolated soft-X-ray pulses for ultrafast spectroscopy and field sampling at the HORUS beamline system. For the generation of isolated soft-X-ray pulses, we are aiming for further nonlinear spectral broadening and compression close to the single-cycle regime of the laser pulses. By using these pulses, amplitude gating for high-harmonic generation will be feasible.

    Tasks for this Master Thesis Project

    1. Implementation and characterization of a fiber broadening system in the lab for the supercontinuum generation;
    2. Compression and characterization of the output pulses;
    3. Simulations of the non-linear propagation of light for the supercontinuum generation;

    Contact:
    Dr. Thomas Nubbemeyer
    Email: thomas.nubbemeyer@mpq.mpg.de

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  • LMU / MPQ / broadband infrared diagnostics
    M.Sc. // Investigating spectroscopic workflows in human blood analysis

    For master students of Physics, Biophysics, Statistical Physics or related:

    The Broadband Infrared Diagnostics (BIRD) group, at the Chair of Experimental Physics at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU) and the Max-Planck-Institute of Quantum Optics (MPQ) is combining femtosecond laser-based technologies, and molecular spectroscopy with computational data analyses for developing novel molecular infrared fingerprinting techniques to probe human health.

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    BIRD Master

    Dynamic and highly interdisciplinary team of physicists, data scientists, biologists and clinical personnel are working together towards the application of infrared spectroscopy for molecular medicine and diagnostics. In particular, minuscule changes in the molecular makeup left in the blood trail are used to capture and characterize health and disease in human population (www.attoworld.de/bird)

    We have an opening for a master thesis project which will evaluate spectroscopic workflows and a data-science related topic analysing measured spectroscopic data. Our aim is to study the diagnostic capacity of spectroscopic profiling by analysing the infrared molecular fingerprints of human blood plasma. Tasks will focus on analysing how different workflows and deviations from a standardized protocol can lead to variations in the captured spectral measurements. If interested, please do get in touch with us: Dr. Mihaela Zigman (mihaela.zigman@mpq.mpg.de) and Tarek Eissa (tarek.eissa@physik.uni-muenchen.de) and talk to us about the possibility!
    Our group is based at the Research Center in Garching (Forschungszentrum Garching, Section Physics of LMU, Am Coulombwall 1, 85748 Garching), which is easily accessible by public transport.

    Required qualifications:

    1. strong academic record ;
    2. interest in medical applications;
    3. basic knowledge in biophysics/physical chemistry;
    4. basic knowledge in statistics/data analytics

    Contact:
    Dr. Mihaela Zigman
    mihaela.zigman@mpq.mpg.de
    Tarek Eissa
    tarek.eissa@physik.uni-muenchen.de

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  • field-resolved infrared spectroscopy
    Post-Doc // Ultrafast field-resolved infrared spectroscopy for biosensing (m/f/d)

    In a joint effort, the Ludwig-Maximilians University Munich and the Max-Planck Institute for Quantum Optics and the Center for Molecular Fingerprinting Research (CMF), combine cutting-edge femtosecond laser technologies [1-3] with novel molecular fingerprinting techniques [4-6] to advance a new type of mid-infrared spectroscopy on the electric-field level. The novel systems are developed and utilized by a highly interdisciplinary team of physicists, data scientists, biologists and clinical personal to identify, via minuscule variations in the infrared response of human blood samples, medical conditions such as cancer.

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    FRIS PostDoc

    The successful candidate will join the field-resolved infrared spectroscopy team at the attoworld in Garching, Germany (www.attoworld.de/fris), to develop next-generation instruments based on bright, coherent, broadband mid-infrared sources and field-resolved detection. The goal for this position is to optimize the sensitivity, with which the electric-field response of a biological can be detected and separated from the excitation pulse. The duration of the position is initially 2 years, with the possibility of extension.

    Qualifications and Skills:

    1. Excellent PhD in physics or a related discipline.;
    2. Experience with ultrafast lasers and nonlinear optics;
    3. Ideally, experience with infrared and/or nonlinear spectroscopies;
    4. Strong self-motivation and the ability to solve problems independently;
    5. Interest in interdisciplinary work with interface to biomedical applications;
    6. Good command of the English language.

    We offer:

    1. Become part of the attoworld - a team of outstanding experts in ultrafast laser development, attosecond physics, ultrasensitive metrology and advanced multilayer coatings;
    2. Access to the latest technologies, state-of-the-art laboratories and equipment;
    3. Excellent research and working conditions;
    4. Supportive, highly motivated, and multi-disciplinary team;
    5. Pleasant working atmosphere with many learning opportunities;
    6. Open-minded, inspiring, dynamic and international atmosphere;
    7. Personal and professional training opportunities.

    References:

    [1] N. Nagl et al., Opt. Lett. 44, 2390 (2019).
    [2] P. Steinleitner, N. Nagl, M. Kowalczyk et al., Nat. Photon., 16, 512 (2022).
    [3] M. Kowalczyk, N. Nagl, P. Steinleitner et al., Optica, doi 10.1364/OPTICA.481673
    [4] I. Pupeza et al., Nature Photon. 9, 721 (2015).
    [5] I. Pupeza et al., Nature 577, 52 (2020).
    [6] A. Weigel et al., Opt. Expr. 29, 20747 (2021).

    Please send a brief cover letter explaining your interest in the position, your CV and the contact information of two references to Dr. Alexander Weigel.

    Contact:
    Dr. Alexander Weigel
    Email: alexander.weigel@mpq.mpg.de

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  • data science
    M.Sc. // Data engineering and analytics

    For master students of computer science, data science, information technology, or similar:
        
    The Data Science group explores the extent to which medical information acquired from photonic data can be utilized in medical diagnostics, personalized health monitoring, and life sciences. To this end, we investigate relevant procedures for experimental and study design as well as data management and pre-processing. We combine these procedures with machine learning methods and ideas from medical statistics in appropriate data-science pipelines. 

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    We have an opening for a master thesis project for performing research towards best practices for collecting, storing, and analyzing scientific (health-related) data at scale. Such data are from multiple sources and formats that range from clinical and laboratory data to fingerprinting measurements of human blood. This involves appropriate database design and management, and the development of unified domain-specific data-science pipelines for data processing and analysis.

    Required qualifications:

    1. Experience with programing in Python or equivalent;
    2. Experience with relational databases ;
    3. Familiarity with analytics and data mining techniques;
    4. Interest in medical applications.

    If interested, please get in touch with Dr. Kosmas Kepesidis to discuss this possibility. Our group is based at the Research Center in Garching (Forschungszentrum Garching, Section Physics of LMU, Am Coulombwall 1, 85748 Garching), which is easily accessible by public transport.

    Contact:
    Dr. Kosmas Kepesidis
    kosmas.kepesidis@physik.uni-muenchen.de

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  • attosecond spectroscopy 2.0
    M.Sc. // High sensitivity field-resolved metrology of optical waveforms

    The focus of this project is to investigate the application of the novel Generalized Heterodyne Optical Sampling Technique (GHOST)1 in an unexplored spectral range.

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    Specifically, we aim to examine the spectral response and signal-to-noise ratio of GHOST when utilizing 2.3-μm pulses to probe optical waveforms. By conducting meticulous experiments and data analysis/simulations, the student will seek to gain valuable insights into the performance and limitations of GHOST in this spectral range, paving the way for its potential applications in optical waveform characterization. This research opportunity offers an exciting chance to contribute to the advancement of optical measurement techniques, and explore uncharted territories in field-resolved metrology.

    References:

    [1] D. Zimin et al., Science Advances, eade1029 (2022).

    Contact:
    Apl. Prof. Dr. Vladislav Yakovlev
    Email: vladislav.yakovlev@mpq.mpg.de

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  • field-resolved infrared spectroscopy
    M.Sc. // Far-infrared and terahertz laser spectroscopy of biomolecules

    Our team (www.attoworld.de/fris) uses ultrashort infrared pulses in combination with a detection technique that is sensitive to the electric field of the mid-infrared light to measure the response of biomolecules to infrared excitation with unprecedented sensitivity.

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    The goal of this master thesis is to study the response of biomolecules like proteins or carbohydrates to longer-wave radiation in the terahertz and far-infrared spectral range. This includes the development of a setup for the generation and measurement of terahertz pulses based on our ultrashort lasers, comparison measurements with commercial infrared spectrometers, and the development of a clear understanding of the observed response signals.

    Contact:
    Dr. Alexander Weigel
    alexander.weigel@mpq.mpg.de

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  • data science
    M.Sc. // Statistical physics meets medical diagnostics

    For master students of theoretical physics, applied mathematics, statistics, or equivalent:

    The Data Science group explores the extent to which medical information acquired from photonic data can be utilized in medical diagnostics, personalized health monitoring, and life sciences. Among other topics, we investigate fundamental problems in medical decision-making from both a theoretical and data-driven point of view. Using ideas and tools from information theory, decision theory, as well as statistical physics, we aim for the quantification of medically relevant information carried by different types of health data sets.

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    We have an opening for a master thesis for performing research towards new strategies for improving current medical diagnostic approaches. The project will focus on the development of probabilistic models that lead to precise definitions of disease states as well as their dynamics and interactions. To this end, ideas and methods from statistical physics, machine learning, and inference algorithms will be employed. The resulting models, will be applied and tested on health-related data sets collected in the framework of clinical research studies performed by the University of Munich (LMU) and the Center for Molecular Fingerprinting (CMF).

    Required qualifications:

    1. Experience with programing in Python or equivalent;
    2. Good knowledge of probability theory and statistical physics;
    3. Very good academic record;
    4. Interest in medical applications .

    If interested, please get in touch with Dr. Kosmas Kepesidis (kosmas.kepesidis@physik.uni-muenchen.de) and Lea Gigou (lea.gigou@physik.uni-muenchen.de) to discuss this possibility. Our group is based at the Research Center in Garching (Forschungszentrum Garching, Section Physics of LMU, Am Coulombwall 1, 85748 Garching), which is easily accessible by public transport.

    Contact:
    Dr. Kosmas Kepesidis
    kosmas.kepesidis@physik.uni-muenchen.de
    Lea Gigou
    lea.gigou@physik.uni-muenchen.de

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  • field-resolved infrared spectroscopy
    M.Sc. // Optimum optical gain medium for ultrafast chromium lasers

    Laser oscillators and amplifiers based on Cr-doped gain crystals have emerged as new sources for extremely short pulses that can be efficiently converted into the mid-infrared spectral range.

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    The goal of this master thesis is to study the influence of the gain medium characteristics on the laser performance. This involves the characterization of laser crystals with different optical and spectroscopic methods, followed by the development of an ultrafast laser test setup based on the gain media. With this demonstration laser, the performance for generating intense pulses with femtosecond duration, high beam quality and stability will be evaluated.

    Contact:
    Dr. Alexander Weigel
    alexander.weigel@mpq.mpg.de

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