Missions

As part of the APC laboratory's multidisciplinary LISA team, the research engineer, specialising in instrumentation and optical integration, will contribute to the development, design, integration, implementation and operation of a high-performance interferometric metrology bench. This objective requires the implementation of optical techniques linked to the use of lasers and heterodyne interferometric measurement techniques of very high precision and stability. He/she will also take part in campaigns to characterise this optical bench, at the APC laboratory, the infrastructures of partner French laboratories and the CNES (Centre National d'Études Spatiales). The engineer we are looking for will therefore play a key role in the adjustment, performance testing and validation of these optical experiments. He/she will also be able to contribute to the preliminary definition of other optical test benches for the LISA mission.

Activités

As part of the LISA project team, the activities of the optical instrumentation research engineer will be :
- Designing and setting up optical experiments
- Managing test campaigns, defining and monitoring test protocols, implementing experiments and analysing results
- Understanding technical requirements and contributing to specifications for optical equipment
- Monitoring implementation and technical interaction with suppliers and subcontractors
- Accepting and testing equipment from subcontractors and suppliers - Setting up technical demonstration experiments (prototyping)
- Modelling instrument performance, in conjunction with the systems engineer and the scientific manager.
- Participation in collaboration meetings and/or conferences to present the results of your work.
Most activities will take place in the APC laboratory's ISO8 (or even ISO5) clean room. Periodic travel in France and abroad is to be expected for test campaigns, follow-up meetings and reviews with collaborators, agencies and industrial suppliers.

Compétences

• Engineering degree or master's degree with a specialty in optics (laser metrology and interferometry), integration and physical measurements
• Expertise in optical instrumentation and integration
• Mastery in optical system design
• Mastery of one or more optical design software (Zemax, FRED, LightTools, MIST, etc.)
• Mastery of low-noise interferometry techniques and precision optical metrology
• Very good knowledge of techniques on the diffusion of optical components
• General knowledge of physics, instrumentation, electronics and mechanics
• General knowledge of clean room work practices
• Mastery of written and oral presentation techniques
• Good written and oral knowledge of English (level B1)
• Ability to demonstrate autonomy and adaptability
• Excellent interpersonal skills and a taste for teamwork

Contexte de travail

The APC laboratory is a joint research unit of the CNRS, the Université Paris Cité, with secondary supervision by the CEA, the Paris Observatory and the CNES. The laboratory works at the interface between astrophysics and high-energy physics and is involved in several space missions of the CNES, ESA and NASA (LISA, ATHENA, EUSO, SVOM, EUCLID) as well as ground experiments (QUBIC, KM3NeT, CTA, DUNE) which are developed within the framework of international collaborations. The proposed position involves contributions to the LISA space mission. Under the supervision of ESA (European Space Agency), LISA is a space mission composed of 3 separate satellites each 2.5 million km apart and whose aim is to detect low-frequency gravitational waves. Adopted by ESA in January 2024, the LISA mission is scheduled for launch in 2034/2035. The French contribution, under the supervision of CNES (Centre National d'Études Spatiales), focuses in particular on the integration and validation of instruments. In this context, the APC is responsible for developing a high-precision laser interferometry bench that will validate the instrumental performance of the engineering model (and then the qualification model) constituting the metrological core of the mission. Experience in the field of heterodyne interferometry is a plus, as is previous experience in optical instrumentation for LISA or similar projects, such as VIRGO, LIGO or LISA Pathfinder. Within the laboratory's matrix organization, the research engineer will report to the Experimental Techniques Department and will join the LISA multidisciplinary team, to which he/she will bring his/her skills in optics, integration and physical measurements. He/she will work in close collaboration with two other optical engineers.

Contraintes et risques

Work with class 4 laser
Travel in France and abroad possible