GREAT-ITN Recruitment: Poznan Astronomical Observatory, Adam Mickiewicz University in Poznan

Project Title: Modelling the Shapes of Asteroids
Contact:
Prof Tadeusz Michalowski (tmich@amu.edu.pl)
Further Details:
http://www.astro.amu.edu.pl
Description:
To model an asteroid shape one needs to obtain its light curve during five to six oppositions. These data allow one to determine the asteroid’s sidereal rotational periods, pole orientations, sense of rotation, and shape model. Moreover, for binary asteroids it is possible to obtain the orientation of the system’s orbit, and the masses and bulk densities of the components. The photometric measurements from Gaia will provide more than 100 points for each one of the ~300,000 observed asteroids. These data permit one to obtain models of most of them. This will be a vast amount of new data compared to the 100–200 modelled asteroids known today. The most important task is the preparation of software for dealing with these new kinds of observational data and work on the resulting large datasets. The new models of asteroids and their positions from Gaia will be also very important input data for studying non-gravitational forces known as Yarkovsky and YORP effects. The ESR will thus develop a new science analysis system.

Important Eligibility Information concerning ESRs:

Early-stage researchers are those who are, at the time of selection by the host institution, in the first four years (full time equivalent) of their research careers. This is measured from the date when they obtained the degree which formally entitles them to embark on a doctorate, either in the country in which the degree was obtained or in the country in which the research training is provided, irrespective of whether or not a doctorate was envisaged. Researchers are normally required to undertake trans-national mobility (i.e. move from one country to another) when taking up their appointment. One general rule applies to the appointment of researchers in a network:

At the time of selection by the host organisation, researchers must not have resided or carried out their main activity (work, studies, etc.) in the country of their host organisation for more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately prior to their recruitment. Short stays, such as holidays, are not taken into account. As far as international European interest organisations or international organisations are concerned, this rule does not apply to the hosting of eligible researchers, however the appointed researcher must not have spent more than 12 months in the 3 years immediately prior to the selection by the host organisation in the same appointing organisation.