We are looking for a PhD candidate to contribute to the development of theoretical methods for studying reactive charge-transfer processes. Ref. No. SU FV-1057-25, closing date: 22 April 2025.

Project description

Subject: Theoretical Physics

We are looking for a PhD candidate to contribute to the development of theoretical methods for studying reactive charge-transfer processes. When oppositely charged ions collide, the resulting dynamics cannot be fully described within the Born-Oppenheimer approximation. In collisions involving molecular ions, not only does charge transfer occur, but molecular bonds may also break or form. These processes are crucial for understanding how molecules are created and destroyed in the interstellar medium, yet our current knowledge of them remains limited.

The goal of this project is to develop both fully quantum mechanical and semi-classical methods to study these types of processes. One part of the project focuses on relatively simple molecular systems, where potential energy surfaces and non-adiabatic couplings can be computed ab initio, allowing for a quantum mechanical description of the scattering process. The other part of the project concerns collisions between complex systems, where a semi-classical description of charge transfer is combined with classical molecular dynamics simulations.

The theoretical studies will be carried out in close collaboration with the experimental research conducted at DESIREE at Stockholm University. DESIREE is a double electrostatic ion-storage ring designed for studying collision processes between oppositely charged ions. Through the integration of theory and experiment, we aim to achieve a deeper understanding of these fundamental processes.

Offer info

Ref. No. SU FV-1057-25

Apply to the position from this web page: https://su.varbi.com/en/what:job/jobID:807044/