News
Tertiary education in UE
Do you know that approximately 4.2 million students graduated from tertiary education in the EU in 2020?
France had the largest number of tertiary graduates in 2020, followed by Germany. The relatively high number of graduates in France may, at least to some extent, reflect a shorter average course length.
The majority of short-cycle tertiary students and doctoral students in 2020 in the EU were men, while the majority of bachelor’s and master’s students were women.
(Source: Eurostat)
Strong coupling
Do you know about the Strong Coupling between light and matter?
For many, it is the key to understanding fundamental interactions in quantum systems!
Strong coupling refers to the interaction between light and matter in which the coupling strength is significantly larger than the dissipative rates of the system. This phenomenon is studied by physicists and material scientists, who investigate how the coupling between light and matter can lead to novel quantum states and devices.
If matter couples with light “strongly” it changes its properties. This was realised in experiments where matter was placed in optical cavities where the wavelength of the resonating light coincides with the separation between energy levels of the material/molecules. What happens then is that an hybrid quantum state forms and the material/molecule assumes new properties. Between these, there are:
- variation of the light absorption energy;
- variation of reaction speeds;
- variation of the conductivity of semiconductors;
- etc.
For sure it is a fascinating subject of study for physicists (doing optics, theory, plasmonic), physical chemists and engineers.
The main challenges are related to the direct understanding of the phenomenon which still requires investigation on the conditions to obtain it, its effects and the setting up of proper simulation/calculations.
If you will work on it, you can hope to develop a new theory in physics, produce molecules selectively that cannot be done in other ways, modify the states of matter and find new phases of some material between the others.
In France there are some laboratories working on them. You can find some information about the “groupment de recherche” working on it here.
You can write us by subscribing to www.phd4you.com to help you find a laboratory working on them near you or in the city you would like to go. We can also give you more detailed information about the subject and understand if strong coupling would be a good subject to study for you and which laboratory would be the best fit.
Halide Perovskites
Do you know about Halide Perovskites?
For many, they are the most promising material for future solar applications!
Halide Perovskites are materials that are easy to make. They are salts based on lead, iodine, bromine and cations like cesium and methylammonium. They are special because they are easy to make (any student can make them from day 1) and provide very good solar cells with little effort. Inorganic and physical chemists, material scientists, and physicists (doing optics) work on them.
The main challenges now are related to the stability of the material (engineering) and its peculiar properties (chemistry and advanced optics). If you work on them you can have important patents for solar cells, LEDs, and radiation detectors.
In France, many laboratories work on them. You can find some information about the “groupment de recherche” working on it on here.
You can write us by subscribing to www.phd4you.com to help you find a laboratory working on them near you or in the city you would like to go. We can also give you more detailed information about the subject and understand if halide perovskites would be a good subject to study for you and which laboratory would be the best fit.
