Microwave driven ion trap quantum computing (2019)

What you get

You will receive:

• fully-funded tuition fees for 3 and a half years (at the UK/EU rate)
• a tax free bursary for living costs for 3 and a half years. For 2018/19 this is £14,777 per year.
• a research training support grant for 3 and a half years of £1,650 per year.

You may also supplement your income with paid teaching (with your supervisor’s agreement).

Type of award

Postgraduate Research

PhD project

A 3-and-a-half year PhD position is available in in the Ion Quantum Technology Group in the Sussex Centre for Quantum Technologies in the Department of Physics & Astronomy at the University of Sussex. The position is part of the UK National Quantum Technologies programme. Ideally you should be able to start in early 2019. The position is part of the UK National Quantum Technologies programme.

We recently invented a method where quantum gates with trapped ions are executed by the application of voltages to a microchip in the presence of a few global radiation fields analogous to the operation of transistors in a classical computer. This approach is based on the use of microwave technology similar in nature technology being used in mobile phones.

As part of the European Quantum Flagship program, our group is working closely with a number of European partners in order to further develop this technology. You will work on a variety of tasks in further developing this new approach to quantum computing with trapped ions. This includes the execution of quantum algorithm, the testing and design of ion microchips, the implementation of quantum gates, validation and verification and the realisation of quantum error correction.

The Ion Quantum Technology Group is one of the world’s leading centres for the implementation of trapped-ion quantum computing and simulation.

The group is part of the UK Quantum Technology Hub on Networked Quantum Technologies and the UK Quantum Technology Hub for Sensors and Metrology. The group currently includes four Postdoctoral Fellows, two electronics engineers, 14 PhD students and six undergraduate students.

To find out more about Professor Hensinger, you can watch:

• a short film on his work
• a popular science lecture given by Professor Hensinger explaining the principles of quantum computing at the US Department of Energy.

Some recent media coverage about the group’s work can be found by using the following links:

• Profile interview with Professor Winfried Hensinger
• BBC NEWS
• BBC Radio 4 Today
• International Business Times
• BBC World Service World Update
• New Scientist
• Nature
• Sky News Tonight with Dermot Murnaghan
• VICE
• Daily Mail

Eligibility

To be eligible, you must:

-          be a UK/European Union (EU) student who has been resident in the UK for at least three years prior to the start             of this position

-          have or expect to have a UK undergraduate/master’s degree, or equivalent, in Physics or a related subject.

If you are from outside the UK, you may apply for a non-funded position in the group, however, you will need to have a funding source for tuition fees and living expenses.

 

Deadline

3 January 2019 0:00

How to apply

You need to email a CV, and your degree results as soon as possible or by the latest 3rd January 2019 to Professor Hensinger at w.k.hensinger@sussex.ac.uk

Due to the high volume of applications received, you may only hear from us if your application is successful.

Contact us

Email Professor Winfried Hensinger at w.k.hensinger@sussex.ac.uk if you have any informal enquiries or for further information.

Email mpsreasearchsupport@sussex.ac.uk if you have a question about your eligibility for the project.