The Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam (AIP) invites applications for a Doctoral Researcher in Solar Physics (f/m/d). The position is within the project »From Flux Emergence to Decay –A High-resolution Study of Sunspots« supported by the German Research Foundation (DFG).

https://www.aip.de/en/career/jobs/jobs-1/doctoral-researcher-in-solar-physics-f-m-d/

The focus of the doctoral research project is the growth and decay of sunspots using state-of-the-art multi-wavelength and multi-instrument high-resolution data in combination with state-of-the-art data handling techniques. During the doctoral studies,the successful candidate will develop expertise in solar observations, imaging and near-infrared spectropolarimetry, high-resolution imaging, spectral inversion techniques, and analysis of data from solar space missions.

We are seeking a highly motivated student with a Master degree in physics or astronomy & astrophysics with good/very good grades according to the German grading scheme for higher education. A good command of spoken and written English and basic programming skills are desirable. Genuine interest or some experience in solar physics research, astronomical observations will be highly beneficial. The doctoral student will be registered at University of Potsdam, which also grant the doctoral degree.

The appointment is a fixed-term contract for three years. The salary is based on the German public service scale (75% working time, TV-L E13), which includes employer contributions to medical and dental insurance, maternity leave and retirement benefits.

As an equal opportunity employer AIP considers individuals for employment according to their skills, abilities and experiences. Preference will be given to handicapped persons with equal competence. Women are especially encouraged to apply.

Applications for and inquiries about the doctoral position should be send to Dr. Meetu Verma preferably via e-mail to bewerbung_2019-19@aip.de. To apply, please send a single PDF file containing curriculum vitae including publications,transcripts,motivation letter including statements on education, skills and experience. If applicable, please attach separately the copies of Bachelor and/or Master Thesis. Applicants should also arrange for two letters of recommendation to be sent. Review of applications will begin 2019 October 1, and continue until the position is filled

1 – The NSO is seeking a post-doctoral research associate to work on the validation of science (level-2) data products in the solar chromosphere, in preparation for the first light of the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope (DKIST) of the National Science Foundation (NSO).

The NSO has initiated an effort – funded by the National Science Foundation and led by Dr. Han Uitenbroek – that includes the inversion of spectro-polarimetric observations of the chromosphere with the DKIST, using the newly developed Departure coefficient driven Spectro-polarimetric Inversion with Response functions (DeSIRe) code. DeSIRe solves the Non-Local Thermodynamic (NLTE) problem of the magnetized chromosphere taking into account the line polarization induced by the Zeeman effect. It is expected that scattering polarization and the Hanle effect will also contribute importantly to the polarization of chromospheric signals (the so-called “NLTE of the 2nd kind”), especially above the quiet Sun and for near-the-limb observations. The complexity of the forward model for the scattering polarization in the magnetized chromosphere, unfortunately, makes it very hard to design efficient and reliable inversion schemes that could be used for routinely processing the very large data output that are expected of the DKIST.

Given the present lack of viable tools for inversion of chromospheric signals affected by scattering polarization, a useful first step is to validate the inversion products of DeSIRe and quantify the “errors” caused by neglecting scattering polarization and the Hanle effect. This can be done by using a forward model that includes scattering polarization in order to synthesize the spectral line polarization produced by DeSIRe-inverted atmospheres, and compare it with the original observations. The forward model that we identified for this task is the HanleRT code, which was developed at the High Altitude Observatory of the National Center for Atmospheric Research (HAO-NCAR), also in Boulder. The successful candidate will work under the joint supervision of Dr. Roberto Casini (HAO) and Dr. Han Uitenbroek (NSO), and will be located at HAO. He/she will learn the physics of scattering polarization and the Hanle effect, polarized radiative transfer, and the application of both the DeSIRe and HanleRT code. The main deliverable of this appointment is the development of a data pipeline between the two codes, which will be capable of producing “synthetic maps” of the solar chromosphere using HanleRT, to be compared with the DKIST observations, starting from inverted data products from DeSIRe. An additional outcome will be the conception of a numerical/statistical approach to quantify the errors on the DeSIRe-inverted atmospheres based on the variance between the real and synthetic observations.

The appointment is initially for one year, renewable for a second year, contingent upon satisfactory performance and availability of funds.

Requirements: PhD in Physics, Astrophysics, or related sciences; proficiency in Fortran 90, and OpenMPI; experience with data visualization methods and tools (e.g., IDL, Python VTK) and high-performance computing will be necessary. Basic knowledge of C is desirable.

Please apply on the AURA Company Website, using the link: recruiting2.ultipro.com/SPA1004AURA/JobBoard/57b96f30-6a4b-42cc-8f73-d417a17b54e9/OpportunityDetail?opportunityId=02d19fb6-3616-447e-a91f-783a3d6dfa2c

The Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc. (AURA) operates several observatory centers (including the National Optical Astronomy Observatory, the National Solar Observatory (NSO), Large Synoptic Survey Telescope and the Gemini Observatory) in the United States and Chile under cooperative agreements with the National Science Foundation.

2 – The NSO is seeking a post-doctoral research associate to work on the validation of science (level-2) data products in the solar corona, in preparation for the first light of the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope (DKIST) of the National Science Foundation (NSF).

The successful applicant will work with senior scientists to develop a pipeline which will deliver scientifically valuable data for the community, with special emphasis on spectro-polarimetry with at least two of the DKIST first-light instruments.  The work will include the development of synthetic models of polarized light from the solar corona, analysis of infrared data from existing instruments such as HAO’s CoMP, and, eventually, unique data from DKIST instruments. The associate will develop skills in cutting edge theoretical and observational solar physics, with direct access to some of the first data from DKIST.  The work will be done mostly at NSO’s HQ in Boulder, Colorado, but will likely require travel to Hawaii, and international travel. The corona presents special challenges, and DKIST is the largest coronagraphic community facility devoted to measuring the coronal magnetic field. DKIST therefore offers the opportunity to work with data that break through previous barriers with significant potential for new understanding. The skills developed during the two-year appointment will be attractive to future employers at universities and elsewhere.

The main deliverable of this appointment is the development of data pipelines that will be capable of inverting spectro-polarimetric observations of the Corona into physical values of the coronal magnetic field that can be made available to the solar community.

The successful candidate will work under the joint supervision of Dr. Philip Judge (HAO) and Dr. Han Uitenbroek (NSO), and will be located at NSO. The appointment is initially for one year, renewable for a second year contingent upon satisfactory performance and availability of funds.

Requirements: PhD in Physics, Astrophysics, or related sciences. Experience with data visualization methods and tools (e.g., IDL, Python VTK) and high-performance computing is highly desirable.

Please apply on the AURA website, using the link recruiting2.ultipro.com/SPA1004AURA/JobBoard/57b96f30-6a4b-42cc-8f73-d417a17b54e9/OpportunityDetail?opportunityId=5000a579-af12-471a-a453-22d52927e061 The Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc. (AURA) operates several observatory centers (including the National Optical Astronomy Observatory, the National Solar Observatory (NSO), Large Synoptic Survey Telescope and the Gemini Observatory) in the United States and Chile under cooperative agreements with the National Science Foundation.