Post-doctoral Positions at LERMA, Observatoire de Paris
Organization: LERMA, Observatoire de Paris
Street Address : 61 Av. de l’Observatoire
City: Paris
Zip/Postal Code: 75014
Country: France
Attention To: Philippe Salomé, Pierre Guillard
Email: philippe.salome@obspm.fr
The LERMA/Observatoire de Paris is seeking candidates for a 2+1 year post-doctoral position in photo-ionisation and shock modeling of Cool Core Galaxy Clusters, starting at the earliest in spring 2017 (later is possible).
The successful candidate will carry out research within the ANR project LYRICS (Gas Life CYcle around Galaxies : ORIgin and State of Cold Accretion Streams).
The goal of this project is to study the life cycle of gas in galaxies in the presence of AGN- feedback, by studying the large filamentary network surrounding Brightest Cluster Galaxies (BCGs) and standing in the hot X-ray ICM.
LYRICS builds up on i) large datasets (~40 sources) already obtained (MUSE, ALMA, NOEMA, IRAM-30m) and archival observations (XMM/Chandra, GALEX, Spitzer, Herschel).
During the course of this position, it is expected that a consistent multi wavelength study of the radiation field in and around the galaxies of the sample will be carried out. Based on these results, grids of photo-dissociation regions (PDR), HII-regions and shock models shall be explored and compared with the data in order to (i) constrain the gas properties in the filaments (ii) identify the best tracers of excitation processes in such filaments.
The successful candidate will have access to state-of-art MHD shock codes, new implementation of physical models of gas excitation by X-rays in the Meudon-PDR code, and computing facilities to run new grids of models if needed.
Large grids manipulation, inversion and minimisation methods will have to be implemented and applied to the observational proxies in hand. The role of the geometry with simplified radiative transfer assumptions will also be studied. Limited computational development of the codes themselves will have to be carried out.
Applicants should have at least a PhD in physics, astronomy or related subject by the time of the appointment. We encourage applications from candidates with a strong expertise in either the manipulation or the development of state-of-the-art models of photo-ionisation and shock (e.g. Meudon-PDR, CLOUDY, MAPPINGs) for the interpretation of observations. Experience with manipulating multi-wavelength data will also be considered. Knowledge of extragalactic astrophysics is preferred. Skills in one or several programmation languages (e.g. Python, Fortran, C++) are necessary.
The LERMA/Observatoire de Paris maintains a lively visitor program and hosts regular workshops and conferences throughout the year. The successful candidate will be immersed in an internationally visible research environment in the Paris Campus, with rich intellectual and computational resources.
The appointment is for 2+1 years with a salary including French social security benefits. Funding will also be allocated for travel.
Applicants should submit a CV (max. 2 pages), a publication list, a short review of previous works (2 pages) and a statement of research interests (2 pages). Applications should be sent via email to philippe.salome@obspm.fr.
For full consideration materials must be received before December 31st, 2016.
Included Benefits:
French national medical insurance, Maternity/Paternity leave, Lunch subsidies, Family supplement for children, Participation to public transport fees, Pension contributions
