Analysis and modelling of asteroid activity in terms of rotation, 3D shape and tail morphology changes

10 Mar 2024
Job Information

Organisation/Company

Astronomical Institute of the Slovak Academy of Sciences

Department

Interplanetary Matter Dept.

Research Field

Astronomy » Astrophysics

Researcher Profile

First Stage Researcher (R1)

Country

Slovakia

Application Deadline

15 May 2024 – 23:59 (Europe/Brussels)

Type of Contract

Not Applicable

Job Status

Negotiable

Hours Per Week

40

Offer Starting Date

1 Sep 2024

Is the job funded through the EU Research Framework Programme?

Not funded by an EU programme

Is the Job related to staff position within a Research Infrastructure?

No

Offer Description

Supervisor: Mgr. Marek Husárik, PhD. ([email protected] )
Affiliation: Astronomical Institute of the Slovak Academy of Sciences, Tatranská Lomnica, 059 60 Vysoké Tatry
Syllabus
Focus of the research: The activity of small objects in the Solar System is usually expected (in the case of comets), but in recent decades we have also encountered cases where mostly objects classified orbitally as asteroids show some unexpected activity. The reasons of the activity may be different: an impact of a small body, a rotational splitting, a thermal defragmentation, etc. (the cause is not always clear). Also, the duration of the active phase can vary considerably from a few days to several months. Sometimes the activity is recurrent, but it may not be related to, for example, the arrival of a body in perihelion. Among other things, these bodies leave behind rather unusually shaped tails than those seen in comets.
Objectives: Analysis of the activity of a normally inactive body with respect to the orientation of the rotation axis in space, with respect to its shape, possible precession or surface albedo variegation. Computational modelling of tail formation and morphology based also on own observations.
Requirements:

(i) knowledge of programming in a commonly used language (Java, C++, preferably Python with astropy, scipy, matplotlib…) and the basics of the LaTeX environment, (ii) good knowledge of the English language, (iii) experience in observations and the ability to reduce the observed material and obtain the values needed for further analysis are welcome.
Research field: Dynamic evolution of small Solar System bodies
Literature:
[1] Binzel, R. P., Gehrels, T., and Matthews, M. S., Asteroids II, 1989
[2] Bottke, W.F. at al., Asteroids III, 2002
[3] Michel P., DeMeo, F., Bottke, W.F., Asteroids IV, 2015
[4] Warner, B.D., A Practical Guide to Lightcurve Photometry and Analysis 2nd ed., 2016
[5] Chandler, C. O., et al., SAFARI: Searching Asteroids for Activity Revealing Indicators, Publications of the Astronomical Society of the Pacific, vol. 130, no. 993, p. 114502, 2018. doi:10.1088/1538-3873/aad03d.

Requirements

Research Field

Astronomy » Astrophysics

Education Level

Master Degree or equivalent

Languages

ENGLISH

Level

Good

Research Field

Astronomy » Astrophysics

Additional Information
Work Location(s)

Number of offers available

1

Company/Institute

Astronomical Institute of the Slovak Academy of Sciences

Country

Slovakia

City

Vysoke Tatry

Postal Code

059 60

Street

Tatranska Lomnica

Geofield

Where to apply

E-mail

[email protected]

Contact

City

Vysoke Tatry

Website

http://www.astro.sk

Street

Tatranska Lomnica, PO Box 18

Postal Code

05960

E-Mail

[email protected]
[email protected]

Phone

(+421) 52 79 89 111

STATUS: EXPIRED