Foundation for Fundamental Research on Matter
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Description
Cosmic particles with energies of up to 1020 eV pose a challenge as their source is a complete mystery; they are currently investigated at the international Pierre Auger Observatory, located in Argentina. The particle measurements can be strongly disturbed by thunderstorms, because the electric fields in a thunderstorm can accelerate shower particles and create ionization avalanches — but how large is the effect for a given electric field, or for a given proximity of a storm? A complementary question arises for thunderstorms, one of the most energetic and least understood processes in our atmosphere. Could cosmic-particle showers play a role in lightning inception? Which physical mechanisms are precisely at work when cosmic particle showers impact a cloud? Which particle energies make a significant impact, and is their number density sufficient? To answer these questions, we now seek to hire 2 PhD students within the project 'Cosmic Lightning'. One student will work on the interface between observations and simulations and be based at the Kernfysisch Versneller Instituut (KVI) in Groningen, and one will mainly develop models and be based at the Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica in Amsterdam (CWI) within the group on Multiscale Dynamics. In the observations the interplay between ultra-high-energy cosmic particles and thunderstorm activity in the atmosphere is investigated using radio-detection techniques at the major international infrastructures LOFAR and Pierre Auger Observatory. The theoretical student will join the particle shower models (roughly for particle energies of 1020 to 106 eV) available at KVI with gas discharge models (roughly for electron energies from 106 to 10-2 eV) available at CWI into one joint model and use it for estimates and predictions. The KVI is an interfaculty institute for atomic and subatomic physics of the University of Groningen (RUG) and its staff members are employed partly by the university and partly by the NWO Foundation for Fundamental Research on Matter (FOM). CWI is the national research institute of The Netherlands for applied mathematics and computer science, directly supported by NWO. It is located at Science Park Amsterdam.
Requirements
We are looking for two highly motivated students with a strong interest in theoretical, computational, and experimental physics. The PhD candidates are required to have a master's degree in (applied) mathematics, atmosphere-ocean science, (theoretical) physics, or a related field. Ideally, the candidate has a good knowledge of stochastics, numerical methods, (geophysical) fluid dynamics, and statistics, as well as experience with scientific programming. Candidates are expected to have an excellent command of English, and good academic writing and presentation skills.
More information and applications
When fulfilling a PhD position at the FOM foundation, you will get the status of junior scientist. You will have an employee status and can participate in all the employee benefits FOM offers. You will get a contract for 4 years. Your salary will be up to a maximum of 2,636 euro gross per month.The salary is supplemented with a holiday allowance of 8% and an end-of-year bonus of 8,33%. You are supposed to have a thesis finished at the end of your four year term with FOM. A training programme is part of the agreement. You and your supervisor will make up a plan for the additional education and supervising that you specifically need. At KVI, this plan can include teaching activities for up to 10% of your working time. The conditions of employment of the FOM-foundation are laid down in the Collective Labour Agreement for Research Centres (Cao-Onderzoekinstellingen), more exclusive information is available at this website under Personeelsinformatie (in Dutch) or under Personnel (in English). General information about working at FOM can be found in the English part of this website under Personnel. The 'FOM job interview code' applies to this position. More detailed information about the research projects can be obtained from Profs. Olaf Scholten, Ute Ebert, or Ad van den Berg. Please use the online form for applications.
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