Missions

The post-doctoral fellow will join la collaboration COSMOCal, collaboration, which is developing an innovative calibration strategy for future cosmic microwave background (CMB) polarization experiments. The successful candidate will work at the interface between observational cosmology and instrumentation, contributing to the definition and validation of scientific requirements for major CMB observatories such as the Simons Observatory (SO) and the South Pole Telescope (SPT), with a focus on polarization calibration and the reduction of systematic effects. The study will also include calibration strategies for European telescopes such as IRAM (Spain) and SRT (Italy).

Activités

● Analyze and define scientific requirements (e.g., polarization angle accuracy, efficiency and instrumental response of target telescopes, frequency coverage, signal-to-noise ratios) for experiments aimed at detecting primordial B-modes and cosmic birefringence.
● Develop simulations and methodologies to align these requirements with the technological constraints of the COSMOCal calibration system.
● Contribute to the simulation and interpretation of calibration strategies and assess their impact on B-mode detection, E→B leakage control, and component separation.
● Collaborate with instrumentation teams to evaluate and improve the performance of calibration tools across various observatories, particularly SO and SPT.
● Prepare for the scientific exploitation of COSMOCal as a shared calibration reference for both ground-based and space-based observatories.

Compétences

● PhD in physics, astrophysics, or a related field.
● Demonstrated experience in data analysis or instrumentation.
● Good understanding of polarization systems, associated systematics, and component separation techniques.
● Strong skills in scientific programming and numerical simulations.
● Ability to work in a collaborative and interdisciplinary research environment.

Contexte de travail

the Laboratoire de Physique Subatomique et de Cosmologie (LPSC) in Grenoble [http://lpsc.in2p3.fr], is a joint research unit of CNRS-IN2P3, Université Grenoble Alpes (UGA), and Grenoble INP, with an average staff of around 230 people.
The postdoctoral researcher will work within the observational cosmology team, under the supervision of Alessia Ritacco. The work will be carried out within a dynamic international consortium involving teams in France and Italy.
The successful candidate will have the opportunity to collaborate with the SO, SPT, and LiteBIRD teams, contributing to the advancement of high-precision CMB cosmology.
The start date is flexible and can be negotiated during the interview process.

Le poste se situe dans un secteur relevant de la protection du potentiel scientifique et technique (PPST), et nécessite donc, conformément à la réglementation, que votre arrivée soit autorisée par l'autorité compétente du MESR.