In the NWO-funded Perspectief programme Optical Wireless Superhighways, new perspectives can be opened for wireless communication which will offer unprecedented capacity, connection density, privacy, and energy efficiency. Five universities and a variety of industries are joining forces to explore these opportunities at all length scales: ranging from ultra-long links between satellites, to short links within indoor rooms. We are looking for enthusiastic PhD students to join our programme.

Your project:

In this project, focusing on physical layer security, we will demonstrate authentication for quantum and classical communication links with Physical Unclonable Functions (PUFs), remotely read out via a single-spatial-mode. We will use a new class of PUFs that can be read out through standard optical fibres or free-space links. Our implementation of single-mode PUFs exploits the time/frequency domain for the encoding challenge / response space. Together with the PUFs, we will develop tools to generate challenge-forming few-photon light pulses and to validate PUF responses at the few-photon level, with the aim of a proof-of-principle demonstration using the terrestrial free-space optical link developed by consortium partners.

Your research will be performed within the newly established Adaptive Quantum optics (AQO) chair in the MESA+ Institute for Nanotechology at the University of Twente. Supervisor is Prof. Pepijn Pinkse (AQO). We work closely together with our colleagues in the program, especially at the Tue. We hope to fill this position in the beginning of 2022.

For the area of secure communication, we are inviting candidates having a solid background in quantum optics, optical communication or integrated photonics or related, as for instance learned from a successfully finished MSc in Physics with a relevant MSc project.

The University of Twente offers a stimulating work environment in an area of applied, forefront research. When fulfilling a PhD position at the UT, you will get the status of junior scientist. You will have an employment contract for the duration of 4 years and can participate in all employee benefits the UT offers. The gross monthly salary starts with € 2.443,- in the first year and increases to € 3.122,- in the fourth year of your employment. Additionally, the University of Twente provides excellent facilities for professional and personal development, a holiday allowance (amount to 8%), an end of year bonus of 8.3%. A high-quality training programme is part of the agreement. The research has to result in a PhD thesis at the end of the employment period.