The Vacuum, Surfaces and Coatings (VSC) Group develops plasma sources for specialised coating applications and for novel accelerator concepts, such as plasma wakefield acceleration (PWFA). Within this framework, a dedicated R&D programme is advancing plasma source technology for the AWAKE project, focusing on highly uniform and reproducible plasmas.

As an Applied Physicist, you will:

• Develop and optimise a length-scalable RF plasma source (helicon plasma at 13.56 MHz), operating with multiple antennas in parallel.
• Design, upgrade and scale hardware up to 2.5 m: RF generators, antenna design, matching networks, magnetic field coils, vacuum tubes, and plasma power coupling.
• Adapt and develop plasma diagnostics (temporal and spatial), in collaboration with external institutes.
• Contribute to the development of millimetre-wave/THz plasma diagnostics (cut-off, interferometry, etc.) for density monitoring.
• Engage actively with the AWAKE and wider PWFA community through meetings, workshops and publications.

Eligibility criteria:

• You are a national of a CERN Member or Associate Member State.
• You have a professional background in Materials Science, Electrical Engineering/RF, Plasma Physics (or a related field) and have either:
  • a Master's degree with 2 to 6 years of post-graduation professional experience;
  • or a PhD with no more than 3 years of post-graduation professional experience.
• You have never had a CERN fellow or graduate contract before.