Missions

The candidate will take part in the monitoring and the scientific and technical feedback of the MINI-EUSO space mission (on board the ISS) and the EUSO-SPB2 stratospheric balloon mission. He or she will contribute to the continuation of the JEM-EUSO international collaboration program in its various aspects: data analysis; calibration; instrumentation development, characterization and optimization; exploration and development of the multidisciplinary scientific potential; preparation of future missions; theoretical and/or phenomenological analysis of cosmic radiation…
The analysis of data from the EUSO-SPB2 and MINI-EUSO missions may be accompanied by some work related to the calibration of the instrument and/or the definition and optimization of specific triggers, as well as the physical interpretation of the detected events. The candidate will also be able to join in the development of the experimental program of the JEM-EUSO collaboration, through new technical and/or algorithmic developments.

Activités

– Data analysis for MINI-EUSO and EUSO-SPB2.
– Development of digital tools for analysis.
– Laboratory measurements in the domain of photodetection.
– Field campaigns (measurements, tests).
– Participation in meetings/conferences.
– Writing articles and/or proceedings.

Compétences

- Data analysis, preferably in the field of cosmic rays and/or transient atmospheric phenomena.
- Programming and use of digital analysis and data visualization tools.
- Instrumental experience in the field of photo-detection: use of photo-multiplier tubes and/or SiPM, laboratory measurements, calibration, etc.
- Experimental design: definition and analysis of triggers to optimize data acquisition.
An experience in the domain of Data analysis, photo-detection, cosmic rays and/or atmospheric phenomena, numerical analysis will be appreciated.

Contexte de travail

Ultra-high energy cosmic rays (UHECRs) are the subject of intense observational activity at the heart of high-energy astrophysics and the “multi-messenger” strategy. One of the main avenues explored to increase the current means of observation and thus unravel the mystery of the origin of these particles, whose sources and mechanisms of acceleration remain unknown, is the deployment of a wide-field telescope in space, observing the Earth's atmosphere to detect extensive atmospheric showers (EAS) induced by UHECRs. To achieve this, the JEM-EUSO international collaboration has embarked on the development of an instrumental program in several stages, with the launch of prototype missions under stratospheric balloons as well as in space.
The latest mission is the MINI-EUSO mission, installed in the International Space Station (ISS) since 2019, taking data at the rate of two or three periods of 12 hours per month on average. The next mission, to be launched in the spring of 2023, is the EUSO-SPB2 (NASA) mission under a stratospheric balloon. The monitoring of operations and the analysis of the data collected by these missions is very important for the finalization of the preparatory program of the JEM-EUSO collaboration, in the perspective of a future large-scale mission.
The EUSO-SPB2 mission has two instruments: a fluorescence telescope and a Cherenkov telescope. It should allow the detection of the first atmospheric showers, as well as the characterization of the conditions for detecting showers induced by high-energy neutrinos, pointing towards the limb of the Earth.
The host team at APC is heavily involved in the JEM-EUSO Collaboration, with the group leader also being spokesperson for the international collaboration. The APC has a long experience in the field of photodetection and is responsible for the detection units of the JEM-EUSO program (for the “fluorescence” part) and their calibration.

Contraintes et risques

The candidate may be required to participate in field tests and measurement campaigns, and could be encouraged to participate in collaboration meetings and conferences.