Ph.D Scholarship 2010 at Relativistic Electrons in Electric Discharges

A three-year PhD scholarship is available at DTU Space, with start dateSeptember 1st 2010 or as soon as possible thereafter on the following subject:

The position, which is funded by The Danish Council for Independent Research | Natural Sciences, is related to a mission planned for the International Space Station: “The Atmosphere-Space Interactions Monitor” (ASIM) for observations of extreme thunderstorms and their influence on the atmosphere. ASIM is led by DTU Space in collaboration with the Danish company Terma.

The project will study, how electrons are accelerated to relativistic energies in electric discharges in the atmosphere. The question has been raised after the surprising observations from satellite of high-energy radiation from the atmosphere above powerful thunderstorms, later followed by the discovery of radiation from lightning and from laboratory discharges. It is now understood that the radiation is bremsstrahlung from electrons that are accelerated to unexpected high energies. The acceleration process is not understood but is interesting because it influences the dynamics of the discharges and their effect on the atmosphere.
The microphysics of discharges is relatively unexplored because of its complexities. DTU Space has developed numerical methods to study the phenomenon with very high precision of the electron dynamics. These will be used to study the conditions for electrons to reach high energies and their influence on the discharge dynamics. The simulations will be evaluated relative to measurements from laboratory experiments.

Eligibility: Candidates should have a master’s degree in engineering or a similar degree with an academic level equivalent to the master’s degree in engineering. A PhD student is sought with good background in physics and numerical methods. The study will be conducted in collaboration with researchers at the Technical University of Eindhoven, Holland, and the Russian Federal Nuclear Center – VNIIEF, Sarov, Russia.

Salary & Appointment Terms: The salary and appointment terms are consistent with the current rules for PhD degree students. The period of employment is 3 years. The study will be based on the DTU Space “south” office, Juliane Maries Vej 30, close to downtown Copenhagen. The student will organizationally be under the Department of Solar System Physics.

Application Procedure: We must have your online application by 28 June 2010. Please open the link “apply for this job online” and fill in the application form and attach your application and CV. The material that should be given consideration in the assessment must be attached. DTU Space encourages applications from students who expect to complete their masters degree before September 1st 2010 with a score that fulfils the requirements. All interested candidates irrespective of age, gender, race, religion or ethnic background are encouraged to apply.

Contact Number: +45 3532 57231