Laser Physicist - Postdoctoral Researcher

About the role

We are seeking a Laser Physicist- Postdoctoral Researcher within our Laser Science and Systems Engineering Program to participate in the research, development, and application of advanced solid state, high energy laser technology. This work will take place within the National Ignition Facility & Photon Science (NIF&PS) Directorate, home to the world’s most energetic laser. It is an exciting time to join the team that achieved fusion ignition in December 2022, a historic moment in science, opening up new physics regimes and setting the stage for new fusion energy possibilities.

Responsibilities

• Conduct research and development in one or more of the following areas:
  • modeling and experimental investigations on advanced kJ-class laser architectures,
  • frequency conversion and non-linear optics, and
  • efficient cooling concepts for high average power laser systems.
• Organize, analyze, and interpret experimental and simulation data using statistical and computational tools and presenting findings clearly through detailed reports, visualizations, and presentations to support scientific communication and decision-making.
• Pursue independent (but complementary) research interests and interact with a broad spectrum of researchers internally and externally to the Laboratory.
• Collaborate with others in a multidisciplinary team environment to accomplish research goals.
• Publish research results in peer-reviewed scientific or technical journals and present results at external conferences, seminars, and/or technical meetings.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• PhD in laser physics, applied physics, general physics, atomic physics, optics and optoelectronics, or related technical field or discipline.
• Experience in designing, building, and/or operating mid-to-high-energy (from mJ to kJ-class) solid-state lasers.
• Experience in experimental physics in one or more of the following areas:
  • advanced polarization physics,
  • solid state lasers,
  • laser cavities,
  • short pulse laser technology,
  • frequency conversion,
  • non-linear optics,
  • crystal optics,
  • thermo-mechanical fine-element calculations interfaced with optical performance.
• Experience with MATLAB, Python and/or similar scripting and data analysis tools.
• Ability to perform as an innovative researcher or experimentalist with a broad range of experience in experimental design, techniques, and execution.
• Experience developing independent research projects, including publication of peer-reviewed literature.
• Proficient written and verbal communication skills to collaborate effectively in a team environment and present and explain technical information within a collaborative, multidisciplinary team environment.

Desired Qualifications

• Experience with laser, pulsed power sources, high density plasma interactions and/or conducting high energy density experiments.
• Experience with optoelectronic device simulation (LaserMOD, LASTIP, PICS3D, Silvaco and/or self-written code) and/or optical system design and analysis using sequential and/or non-sequential raytracing tools (Zemax, Code V, OSLO, FRED, LightTools, or ASAP).
• Experience with electromagnetic field simulation using finite-difference time domain, finite element, finite element thermal simulation (e.g., COMSOL, ANSYS, and/or self-written code), and/or beam propagation simulation tools (FIMMWave, BeamPROP, etc., and/or self-written code).
• Experience with CAD-based mechanical design (e.g., AutoCAD, SolidWorks, SolidEdge, etc.) and test equipment control and automation software development (LabVIEW, Python, MATLAB, etc.).

Pay

$123,048 Annually. This is the lowest to highest salary we in good faith believe we would pay for this role at the time of this posting; pay will not be below any applicable local minimum wage. An employee’s position within the salary range will be based on several factors including, but not limited to, specific competencies, relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, seniority, geographic location, performance, and business or organizational needs.