PhD position: Validation of novel LISA pointing architectures

Job description

PhD position: Validation of novel LISA pointing architectures

Airbus Defence and Space Friedrichshafen (ex Astrium SL)

Airbus is a global leader in aeronautics, space and related services. In 2017, it generated revenues of € 67 billion and employed a workforce of around 130,000. Airbus offers the most comprehensive range of passenger airliners from 100 to more than 600 seats. Airbus is also a European leader providing tanker, combat, transport and mission aircraft, as well as Europe's number one space enterprise and the world's second largest space business. In helicopters, Airbus provides the most efficient civil and military rotorcraft solutions worldwide.

Our people work with passion and determination to make the world a more connected, safer and smarter place. Taking pride in our work, we draw on each other's expertise and experience to achieve excellence. Our diversity and teamwork culture propel us to accomplish the extraordinary - on the ground, in the sky and in space.

Description of the job

Are you looking for a PhD? Would you like to discover the work of a Space Engineer? Then apply now! We look forward to you joining us.

Location: Friedrichshafen
Start: January 2019
Duration: 3 years

Desired profile

Tasks & accountabilities

The Laser Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) mission will observe gravitational waves by measuring picometer pathlength changes between inertial test masses separated by 2.5 million km. Orbital dynamics will cause the shape of the constellation to change over the mission duration, calling for active tracking of the laser links in the constellation while maintaining the pm accuracy. In this project, a hardware testbed for comparing different payload architectures is being developed. The experimental setup features representative telescope and interferometer optics for pm-performance, including a pointing mechanism for the constellation tracking.

Your exciting topic:

·  In this PhD, the concepts of "telescope-pointing" and "in-field-pointing" shall be experimentally compared to a newly proposed architecture
·  The results will directly enter the ongoing design of the LISA instrument
·  To this end, a new mechanism shall be designed, built and included into the experimental setup
·  The performance tests will include interferometric measurements of the optical path length jitter on a pm-level as well as tests of the angular jitter performance on the nrad-level
·  An additional mechanism for simulating the dynamics of the other spacecraft shall be integrated in the setup, in order to perform end-to-end tests of the complete LISA optical metrology system

This job requires an awareness of any potential compliance risks and a commitment to act with integrity, as the foundation for the Company's success, reputation and sustainable growth.

Required skills

Educated to Master Degree Level (or equivalent) in Physics, Optics, Optoelectronics or similar

·  Programming: LabView, Matlab
·  Electronics, FPGA, OPAs
·  Fluent in English; German would be a plus