PhD Position in Experimental Nonlinear Dynamics and Nanomechanics

Build and operate a programmable network of coupled KPOs with up to eight nodes, including control and readout electronics and measurement software. Map attractor landscapes, switching statistics and probability currents from measured trajectories. Compare experiment with simulations and analytical models in close contact with our theory partners (Prof. O. Zilberberg at the University of Konstanz) and publish and present your results internationally.

We are looking for a highly motivated PhD student to join our nonlinear dynamics team.

In our lab, each node is an electrical circuit or a micro-electromechanical (MEMS) resonator implementing a Kerr parametric oscillator (KPO): a driven, dissipative resonator with two stable oscillation states that act like a bit of memory. We couple several such KPOs, reading out every oscillator simultaneously and in real time. This gives us complete access to the dynamical many-body phase space. With it, we reconstruct the attractor landscape of the network, track how noise drives switching between collective states, and measure probability currents that appear when detailed balance is broken.

Networks like these bridge nonequilibrium statistical physics and neuromorphic computing, and could provide a physical route to Ising and Boltzmann machines that operate on dynamical rather than static states.

A four-year PhD position in the friendly Spin Physics group at ETH Zürich, with an international, stimulating environment.

• You hold (or are about to complete) an MSc in physics, electrical engineering or a related field, with a solid background in nanomechanics, nonlinear dynamics, or statistical physics.

• You enjoy hands-on experimental work (electronics, signal processing, Python) and are not afraid of a bit of analytical theory.

• Experience with MEMS, lock-in detection, or FPGAs is a plus.

• You communicate well in English.