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InternalSummerPlacements2017

Internal Summer Placements 2017

Projects for SUMMER 2017

Projects are typically 6-8 weeks depending on how many are funded each year, below is a list of projects sent to me. However please talk to possible supervisors and encourage them to create a project title to match your interests.

 


Title:  Defects in Spin Ice

Supervisor: Professor Jon Goff

Duration: 8 weeks

The proposal for the observation of magnetic monopoles in spin ice [1] has enjoyed much success in the intermediate temperature regime [2,3].  However, low-temperature measurements now point to the importance of defects in monopole dynamics, in providing extrinsic resistance for monopole currents [4].  This project is to study the defect structures of spin ice materials using x-ray diffraction.  The work will include the measurements of single crystals using the x-ray equipment at Royal Holloway, structural refinement of the Bragg reflections, and computer simulations of the diffuse scattering.

[1] C. Castelnovo et al., Nature 451, 42 (2008) [2] D.J.P. Morris et al., Science 326, 411 (2009) [3] T. Fennel et al., Science 326, 415 (2009) [4] H.M. Revell et al., Nature Physics 9, 34 (2013 


Title:  Development of a AmBe calibration tagging system for DEAP-3600

Supervisor:  Dr Joseph Walding

Duration:  8 weeks

 

Dark matter makes up three quarters of the matter of the Universe but as yet we have not determined what it is.  DEAP-3600 is a dark matter experiment based at SNOLAB in Ontario, Canada which hopes to shed light on this question.  

The challenge for all dark matter detectors is distinguishing signal from background events, as such calibration systems are key to an experiments success.  

We are looking for a student to work within the RHUL dark matter group helping to develop a new tagging system for the the AmBe neutron source used by DEAP-3600 to characterise the detector response to nuclear recoils, the signal of dark matter interactions. Results will be verified against the DEAP-3600 simulation package written in C++ based on the GEANT4 and ROOT packages.

 


 

Title: Photon Counting for DarkSide-20k

Supervisor: Dr Alistair Butcher

Duration: 8 weeks

 

DarkSide-20k is a dark matter direct detection experiment currently in the research and development phase. It is expected to start operations in 2020 and will produce a leading limit on the WIMP dark matter cross section. The detector comprises a liquid argon time projection chamber, instrumented by silicon photomultipliers (Si-PMs). Si-PMs are a new technology which are expected to be used in many next generation experiments. However, they must be fully understood to be used in precision physics. We are looking for a student to help implement a statistical photoelectron counting method in the DarkSide-20k analysis software. This work will happen in conjunction with Si-PM characterisation with the aim to introduce measured probability distributions into the method.


Title: High Pressure TPCs for neutrinos

Supervisor: Dr Asher Kaboth

Duration: 8 weeks

 

Neutrino oscillations show that neutrinos have mass, and as a result, provide a glimpse beyond the standard model of particle physics. Neutrino interactions with nuclei, however, are a major uncertainty in oscillation experiments. At RHUL, we are building a new kind of detector to help remove this uncertainty. This detector is a high pressure time projection chamber, which allows a precise understanding of these interactions. We are looking for a student who who help build and test this detector. This is a highly hardware-oriented project, with hands-on work constructing, testing, and operating a detector.


 

Title: Studying Top quark events at ATLAS

Supervisor: Dr Veronique Boisvert

Duration: 8 weeks

This project will focus on using simulated events from ATLAS and using C++ code to analyse those events. The student will learn more about the particle physics done at the LHC and focus on learning about the top quark, in terms of its production, its decay and interesting signatures and its connection with the Higgs boson. Although an interest in programming is necessary as this project is purely computing based, prior knowledge of C++ is not required. 


Title:Development of advanced instrumentation for charged particle beam using Cherenkov Diffraction Radiation

Supervisor: Dr Pavel Karataev

Duration: 8 weeks


Title: Novel electronic states including unconventional superconductivity at the border of magnetism

Supervisor: Dr Philipp Niklowitz

Duration: 8 weeks

This research activity in which this project will be embedded has the aim to explore novel states of electronic matter including unconventional superconductivity. We focus in particular on electronic systems in the vicinity of magnetic order. Some states like conventional metallic states or conventional superconductivity are already well understood. However, magnetic interactions between conduction electrons, which are enhanced near magnetic quantum phase transitions can lead to more exotic states of matter.

Experimentally, magnetic quantum phase transitions are reached by cooling a magnetically ordered material to low temperatures and tune the system at low temperatures. We use high-pressure techniques for tuning. The project student will become familiar with high-pressure and low-temperature techniques. The student will have the opportunity to contribute to the exploration of pressure-temperature phase diagrams of promising candidate materials, which might include recently discovered Fe-based superconductors.


Title: Projects within the Low Temperature Lab

Supervisor: see individual projects

Duration: 8 weeks

Project 1 (John Saunders/Jan Nyeki)

Interactions, transport and superfluidity in a 2D Fermi gas

3He bound in surface states on a superfluid 4He film adsorbed in turn on the surface of graphite is an ideal model system to investigate strong correlations in a 2D Fermi gas of tuneable density, with tuneable interactions. Our objective is to find superfluidity in a strictly 2D monolayer of fermions; here we have a model system to potentially realise this quantum state. Such an observation would be of broad significance in condensed matter physics. Our system is cooled to 200 microK and probed by highly sensitive SQUID NMR techniques developed in our laboratory. Studies of the thermodynamic properties of this system are underway using exfoliated graphite substrates on a nuclear adiabatic demagnetization refrigerator (ND1). A current challenge is to develop and exploit new high quality substrates (CVD graphene is one candidate) to eliminate disorder that may suppress superfluidity, and to open up the possibility of spin transport measurements for the first time. The intern would join and participate in this project learning about: ultralow temperature technology; NMR; SQUID technology; fundamental physics of 2D fermi systems.

 

Project 2 (John Saunders/Andrew Casey)

Order parameter sculpture of confined topological superfluid 3He and its surface excitations

Superfluid 3He is of central importance in the rapidly developing field of topological quantum matter. There are no clearly established topological superconductors, while 3He is a p-wave “neutral” superconductor with two distinct phases, one (ABM) chiral and the other (BW) time reversal invariant. At Royal Holloway we have pioneered the study of this topological superfluid under precisely engineered nanoscale confinement. The goals are to study Majorana surface excitations, emerging as a consequence of bulk-surface correspondence and to use confinement to stabilize new order parameters, with different broken symmetries from those stable in bulk. This requires the development of new experimental techniques for investigating the nanophysics of superfluid 3He, and its surfaces, where confinement is the new control parameter. Ongoing studies concern the influence of progressively strong confinement, on length scales of order the coherence length, on slab-like cavities, using SQUID NMR developed in our laboratory and a nuclear adiabatic demagnetization refrigerator (ND2). Side-by-side we are working on methods to investigate the transport properties of the confined superfluid: the ultimate goal is to fingerprint Majorana fermions. The intern would join and participate in this project learning about: ultralow temperature technology; NMR; SQUID technology; fabrication of nanofluidic geometries; help develop new techniques; fundamental physics of topological superfluids.

 

Project 3 (Andrew Casey/John Saunders)

Brute force cooling on NEMS towards the quantum limit

There is a growing interest in nano-electromechanical resonators (NEMs) at ultralow temperatures. At Royal Holloway we have been working on SQUID detection of high Q nano-mechanical resonators at milliKelvin temperatures. This modular design of our set-up allows us to optimise NEMS (typical Q is 106 or more), and control magnetic field on NEMS for magneto-motive readout over a wide range. The low temperature platform is a cryogen-free dilution refrigerator, where we have previously developed the first cryogen-free nuclear adiabatic demagnetization refrigerator [ND4]. We have observed: the thermal motion of the undriven NEMS down to 20 mK; characterised the back action; observed single mode cooling from the bath temperature by up to a factor of 5; and by changing the SQUID bias we can observe self-sustained oscillations.  We are working to extend this work to higher frequencies and temperatures below 6mK: to approach quantum limit by brute force, and to use NEMs to probe liquid helium.

 

 

 

 


Title: Condensed Matter Physics

Supervisor: Dr James Nicholls

Duration: 8 weeks

As part of a collaboration (samples and theory from Cambridge & UCL) we wish to cool the electrons in semiconductor devices down to less than 1 mK. This has never been achieved before and in low-dimensional systems such as 1D wires and 0D quantum dots it is predicted that electrons will order into new quantum states.  In this project there will be a variety of activities that will contribute to the setting up of preliminary measurements on new equipment: testing semiconductor devices at 4.2 K, making and testing filters for low noise measurements, writing software to control equipment or analyse data, modelling, etc.  There will be opportunities to develop new skills and to work in a team of researchers (post docs, academics, technicians).


Title: Condensed Matter Physics

Supervisor: Vladimir Antonov

Duration: 8 weeks

Experimental Nanotechnology- details to be confirmed


Title: tba

Supervisors: Gary Boorman, Stephen Gibson

Normally a project involving Labview


Title: Outreach and Teaching Equipment Upgrade

Supervisors:  Stephen Gibson and Ian Murray

Duration: 8 Weeks

The department runs a wide variety of public outreach activities and events. The range of demonstrations and equipment for these is constantly being upgraded and expanded. This project will focus on designing some new demonstrations as well as upgrading existing ones. Specifically, this summer we are hoping to design a new water based invisibility cloak and a circularly polarized RF gun. Upgrades are planned for our Dark Matter machine, Ripple Tank and Chladni Plate demonstrations. In addition, the project would involve improving the documentation for some current demos. The work for this project would involve researching and designing these new demonstrations with guidance, as well as working to build and test them.


 

Title: "Condensed Matter Theory" Spin entanglement as a key process for condensed matter physics

Supervisors:  Anna Posazhennikova

Theoretical condensed matter physics

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