Postdoctoral Researcher - Detecting Exoplanets Through Magnetic Star-planet Interaction

Postdoctoral Researcher - Detecting Exoplanets Through Magnetic Star-planet Interaction

Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research

Göttingen, Germany

The Department Solar & Stellar Interiors at MPS invites applications for the position of a Postdoctoral Researcher (f/m/d) to detect exoplanets through magnetic star-planet interaction.

In recent years, exoplanetary science has undergone a major shift -- moving from exoplanet detection towards understanding star-planet systems as a whole, including the host star, interplanetary medium and galactic context. Specifically, tidal and magnetic interactions between planets and their host stars have been recognized to be able to modulate the evolution of both, including the atmospheric evolution of the planet and its habitability. The newly established ERC StG project PLANETARE seeks a postdoctoral researcher with a background in stellar magnetism and/or exoplanetary science to develop novel ways of detecting and characterizing the mutual influence of stars and planets, with a focus on the influence of planets in short orbits on the magnetism of their host stars. At the core of the project is a new way to find exoplanets: detecting them through their magnetic interaction with the host star. This position develops the detection method itself, i.e., the statistics, the search, and the physical model behind it.

The position

• Develop new statistical techniques to identify signatures of planet-induced flaring;
• Identify young stars and search them for planet-induced flaring using archival and upcoming Kepler, TESS, and PLATO observations;
• Measure how the strength and frequency of planet-induced flaring change as systems age;
• Develop a forward model of the magnetic feedback loop between planet and star.

The derived occurrence rates of planet-induced flaring constrain the prevalence of interaction; the modeling of the evolution and mechanism will be built on the largest survey for planet-induced flaring to date. You will work closely with a second postdoc within a small, newly formed team of two postdocs and a PhD student, led by the PI (Ekaterina Ilin). Group members are supported to lead their own papers and proposals, and to present at international meetings in both the stellar and exoplanet communities.

Your qualification

• A PhD in physics or astrophysics (PhD must be awarded by the start date);
• Experience with statistical inference and/or modelling of stellar magnetic fields;
• The ability to work in a team;
• A good command of the English language.