Project Description: Hot exozodiacal dust is a mysterious phenomenon. There is dust with temperatures of ~1000K located very close to stars, but no theory can comprehensively explain this. Observing the hot dust is challenging. The angular resolution required can only be achieved with the technique of interferometry where multiple telescopes are linked together to achieve the resolution of one giant telescope. The intern will support the analysis of brand-new interferometric observations of hot dust obtained with the VLTI (see link). Furthermore, the intern will be part of our group working on several NASA-funded projects. They will have the opportunity to obtain insights into various topics from debris disks to instrumentation and to participate in observations with the LBTI if desired (see link). There are regular group meetings and journal clubs, and the intern is invited to participate as desired. Useful links:
www.eso.org/public/teles-instr/paranal-observatory/vlt/vlti
www.lbto.org
scienceops.lbto.org
NASA Relevance: The intern will work on observations of hot exozodiacal dust. The dust grains can scatter light efficiently in the visible wavelength range, thereby causing confusion with any exo-Earth that one wants to detect via direct imaging. Therefore, this phenomenon, while poorly understood, poses a hazard for NASA's Habitable World Observatory (HWO) flagship mission and is listed in the Exoplanet Exploration Program Science Gap List 2023. The mentor and other members of the research group are directly funded by NASA to explore the phenomenon of hot exozodiacal dust in the curse of HWO precursor science.
Work Description:
- Familiarize with the observing technique of optical interferometry
- Analyze observational data using existent Python software packages
- Write short software routines to streamline analysis and visualize results
- Present results (informally) in group meetings
- If desired:
o Summarize results in a journal publication
o Present results at internal and external symposia and conferences
o Propose own observations at world leading observational facilities
Open or Reserved Project: Open, 2 positions