09/096-097 PhD + Post-Doc project Extremely Large Telescope

The Faculty of Science and Technology (700 faculty members, 1100 students) offers a range of bachelor and master courses (NanoTechnology, Applied Physics, Chemical Engineering and Technical Medicine). The faculty’s research is organized in three of the university’s interdisciplinary research institutes: MESA+, BMTI, and IMPACT. These institutes increase the vitality of research by enabling collaboration between programs and disciplines, by providing shared facilities, and by attracting funding for joint projects. They also provide a conduit to industrial and other external partners.

The research within the Low Temperature division of the University of Twente is oriented towards ‘Applied Superconductivity’ in a broad sense. The research sub-group “Cooling and Instrumentation” within that division focuses on the development of advanced cooling technologies: microcooling and sorption-based compressors.

In our project Extremely Large Telescope we have vacancies for a (PhD and Post-Doc)

Candidates should be enthusiastic and well-motivated researchers, preferably with a background on physics or mechanical engineering.

Extremely Large Telescope:

This project is sponsored by the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO). The objective is to develop vibrationless coolers for cooling mid-infrared or other optical detectors in experiments that are part of the new European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT, http://www.eso.org/public/astronomy/projects/e-elt.html). The coolers that we will develop are based on sorption technology. In this project, we are looking for a PhD student and for a post-doc researcher.

PhD project:

So far, we have developed sorption coolers for cooling powers in the range of 10 mW. Instruments at ELT, however, may require a much higher cooling capacity, 0.1 – 10 W depending on the operating temperature. Although the higher capacity can simply be realized by applying a number of coolers in parallel, it is obvious that such a configuration will not be the most compact or energy efficient. The PhD student should specifically investigate these higher power systems at different operating temperatures, aiming at compactness and efficiency. Four stages will be investigated that correspond to temperatures of optics and detectors in the different ELT instruments: ca. 150 K (near IR instrument); ca. 80 K (near IR detector); ca. 30 K (mid IR instrument); ca. 5 K (mid IR detector). Vacancy number 09/096.

Post-doc project:

The post-doc will mostly be involved in the design of the 5K mid-IR cooler. We aim to realize an efficient and compact system by using a pulse-tube cooler acting as a precooler at a level of about 50K, and combine that with a two-stage sorption cooler. Such a two-stage sorption cooler is currently under development at UT under ESA contract. In an earlier study, also paid by ESA, the feasibility of this total cooler chain was shown. Aim of the ELT post-doc project is to actually realize a technology demonstrator.

The post-doc will also be involved in cooler chain studies. Once the cooling requirements for the different ELT instruments become clearer, the cooler chain for those instruments can be optimized. Cooling requirements in this respect refer to operating temperatures for the instruments and detectors, as well as cooling capacities at these temperatures. The technologies that will be included in the trade-offs are sorption coolers, pulse-tube coolers and liquid-cryogen baths. Vacancy number 09/097.

What we offer

We offer you a PhD position for 4 years. Your starting salary will be € 2042, – gross per month in the first year and up to € 2612, – gross per month in the last year.

We offer the post-doc a gross monthly salary of maximum € 3755.,- (scale 10).depending on experience and qualifications.

Information and applications:

prof.dr.ir. Marcel ter Brake, tel. 31-53-4894349, h.j.m.terbrake@utwente.nl,

research info under: http://lt.tnw.utwente.nl/research/cooling

Source:
http://www.utwente.nl/vacatures/en/Academic%20Staff/09-096-097-eng.doc/

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