2 year Post-doc position - Liquid Phase Attosecond Spectroscopy at CEA Paris-Saclay, France (Deadline: 20.03.2025)

A two-year post-doctoral position is open in the ATTOphysics group of the CEA Paris-Saclay to develop attosecond spectroscopy of liquid-phase systems using state-of-the-art ytterbium-pumped high-harmonic sources.

The main goal of the project is to measure the electronic dynamics of solvated molecules on the attosecond timescale following excitation of core levels to understand chemical environments and structures. The absorption of x-ray photons at elemental edges creates metastable molecular states that live only few femtoseconds, their exact lifetime being dictated by the molecular structure as well as the solvation environment. We are developing new tools (namely attosecond transient absorption and wave-mixing schemes) to measure and manipulate these core-excited states with attosecond and few femtosecond pulses.

With this aim, we are developing a state-of-the-art experiment using a CEP stable ytterbium laser source that we post-compress to the few-cycle in order to drive soft X-ray high-order harmonic generation. To sample solvated molecules in the vacuum environment necessary to the propagation of attosecond pulses, we are using innovative liquid jet technics based on microfluidic devices.

The position is for two years, extendable to three, and financed by the ERC Starting Grant SATTOC. The candidate will join the ATTOphysics group and work in close collaboration with students and postdocs developing a range of topics such as attosecond photoemission spectroscopy in the gas and liquid phase. The position is already open and will remain until filled.  Applicants should provide a CV and two reference letters.

For more information, please contact directly: hugo.marroux@cea.fr