Postdoctoral Position in Experimental Nuclear Physics

The Nuclear and Particle Physics and Applications (P-3) group in the Physics division is looking for one or more postdoctoral researchers to work in the Low Energy Nuclear Physics Team on direct and indirect measurements of neutron induced reactions. The successful candidate(s) will perform measurements and analysis at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE) or external charged particle and rare isotope beam facilities.  There are additional opportunities to develop the suite of instruments located at the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center and as part of P-3’s external measurement programs.  At LANSCE, tools include the Detector for Advanced Neutron Capture Experiments (DANCE), the Low-Energy (n,Z) (LENZ) instrument, the Chi-Nu Prompt Fission Neutron Instrument, the fission Time-Projection-Chamber, the SPecrometer for Ion DEtermination Research (SPIDER), the Device for Indirect Capture Experiments on Radionuclides (DICER) and the Irradiation of Electronics Chips (ICE) program.  The teams are actively involved in developing new instruments to take advantage of the unique time-of-flight neutron beams made available at LANSCE.  Outside Los Alamos, we pursue measurements studying the underlying nuclear physics used to infer nuclear reaction rates for short-lived nuclei.

Research areas in the group include studies of nuclear astrophysics (s-process, r-process, heavy element synthesis), nuclear structure (gamma-ray spectroscopy, level density, photon strength function), nuclear reactions, and studies of the fission mechanism. The team is tightly coupled to the LANL nuclear physics and astrophysics theory group as well as modeling and simulation teams in theoretical design, computational physics, and computer and computation sciences divisions.  The intense neutron spallation sources at LANSCE are used in much of this work and cover a neutron energy range from sub-thermal to 800 MeV.

A broad range of expertise and background is desired, and there are multiple distinct projects that a successful candidate could pursue within the research disciplines of the group.  There are opportunities for postdoctoral positions that are focused on hardware development, analysis, or simulation. There may be additional opportunities for collaborative work with scientists from other groups or divisions at LANL.  Highly qualified applicants will be considered for Director's or Agnew National Security Postdoctoral Fellowships with exceptional candidates being considered for the prestigious Marie Curie, Richard P. Feynman, J. Robert Oppenheimer, or Frederick Reines Fellowships.