Postdoctoral position: "Researcher in Extragalactic Astrophysics" - CRAL (UMR5574)

Research project

The candidate will be able to perform at least 50% independent research and to interact with researchers from the Galpac and AstroENS groups, which includes experts on lensing, galaxy kinematics, and numerical simulations.

The candidate is expected to contribute to the development of the extragalactic science cases for Harmoni. Harmoni, a near-infrared IFS for the ELT, will play a major role in studies of galaxy formation and expand the redshift/mass range of galaxies which can be studied thanks to the ELT collective area and to the AO performances. CRAL is a key partner of this project, leads the construction of the Integral Field Unit (IFU) and has the responsibility of data-reduction software and control software. In particular, engineers at CRAL are developing the HARMONI pipeline and a Fourier-based Instrument Numerical Model (INM) which reproduces the complex light path throughout the telescope and the instrument up to the detector. The candidate is expected to use the INM to simulate mock HARMONI exposures using astrophysical scenes extracted from numerical simulations. These mock exposures can then be used to validate the algorithms of the pipeline and optimize the science observations.