EPSRC FUNDED PROJECT STUDENTSHIPS AVAILABLE FROM JAN 2010

Supervisors / Project title / Project description
Lesley Cohen, Karl Sandeman
One project studentship available / Magnetocalorics / Giant calorimetric effects are observed in magnetic materials that undergo a first order metamagnetic transition, where in the presence of a magnetic field the material changes entropy (and undergoes an associated change of adiabatic temperature). The aim of the project is to use calorimetricmethods to assess new magnetic materials that have been made to maximise their magnetocaloric performance. The main application area is for environmentally friendly, energy efficient, room temperature magnetic refrigeration.
Stefan Maier, Paul Stavrinou, Donal Bradley - each will be main supervisor on case by case basis
Up to three project studentships available / Active Plasmonics: Electronic and all optical control of photonic signals on sub-wavelength scales / The aim of this project is to create nanophotonic circuits based on hybrid metal/polymer nanostructures, with the aim of realizing active electrical and all-optical control over light propagation on the nanoscale. The main application area of such nanoscale plasmon waveguides lies in all-optical communication for next-generation computer chips and nanoscale biochemical sensors.
Chris Phillips, Prof. Sir John Pendry, Mike Damzen and Prof. Stefan Maier
Up to three project studentships available / Active Plasmonics with Quantum Metamaterials / Metamaterials are artificially structured, on a sub-wavelength scale, to exhibit optical properties unknown in nature. This project extends the idea; we use quantum mechanics to design new optical resonances into nano-sized quantum semiconductors. The result will be a whole new family of device concepts, including structures with negative refractive indices, so-called “perfect lenses”, laser devices that operate without needing to be driven into population inversion, and a new family of “wired light” waveguide devices that operate at unprecedented combinations of speed and compactness.
Russell Cowburn
Up to two project studentships available / 3-dimensional spintronics / This project seeks to establish a new approach within spintronics - the use of the spin as well as the charge in electron device - based on solitons within 3-dimensional magnetic nanostructures. Largely experimental, the project will involve working within a newly created team using ultrahigh resolution nanolithograhy, laser optics and high sensitivity / high speedelectronic measurements. The scope of the project is from the basic physics of recently predicted but currently unobserved solitons through to possible technological applications such as 3-dimensional non-volatile memory for ultrahigh density data storage.

Note that these descriptions are associated with EPSRC funded project studentships and both British and European students are eligible for full stipend and fees. Overseas students are eligible to take up a studentship but the shortfall between home/Eu and overseas fees needs to be covered elsewhere.

For more details on eligibility rules see http://www.epsrc.ac.uk/PostgraduateTraining/StudentEligibility.htm

EXSS have many other PHD projects available. For more details please contact the group directly at