Improving orbital tracking using optical parallax measurements

PhD position in Physics at Warwick University - Improving orbital tracking using optical parallax measurements

Dr James McCormac

Overview

We invite applications from outstanding and highly motivated students for the Warwick Prize Scholarships in Astrophysics. The successful applicant will work with Dr James McCormac within the Astronomy and Astrophysics group in the Department of Physics at the University of Warwick.

This project will explore real-world improvements in the orbit determination for both known and unknown satellites, potentially including space debris. 

This project is based on the principle of parallax, the geometrical phenomenon where the apparent position of a foreground object relative to a distant background change as the observer moves. The observer-target range can be directly related through simple trigonometry to the measured offset and the observation baseline. Previous attempts to exploit this principle for range measurements suffered severe precision limitations due to hardware limitations. However, the Warwick CLASP telescope on La Palma can measure the position of low-Earth-orbit (LEO) or geostationary orbit (GSO) objects at high precision.

The student’s initial work will focus on developing and applying numerical simulations and orbital determination techniques to understand the correlations between observational baselines (orientation/separation of telescope pair), target orbits, and observation strategies for LEO, GSO, and cis-lunar orbital regimes. The student will then lead observing trips to deploy the portable system and obtain data to experimentally validate their simulations. The main focus of the project will be in modelling orbits and characterising the improvement in the accuracy of the orbital elements through parallax measurements.

Warwick is an internationally recognised centre of research excellence. Our group takes leading roles in many major ground and space-based projects, including the Gravitational-wave Optical Transient Observer (GOTO), Next Generation Transit Survey (NGTS), PLAnetary Transits and Oscillations of stars (PLATO) telescope, Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), WHT Enhanced Area Velocity Explorer (WEAVE) spectrograph, 4-metre Multi-Object Spectrograph Telescope (4MOST), and Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI).

The Astronomy & Astrophysics group is part of the Physics Department at Warwick; both the department and the university hold Athena SWAN Silver awards, a national initiative to promote gender equality for all staff and students. The Physics Department is also a Juno Champion, which is an award from the Institute of Physics to recognise our efforts to address the under-representation of women in university physics and to encourage better practice for all. The Astronomy & Astrophysics group also hosts monthly equitea forums to break down barriers faced by all under-represented groups in science.

More details on PhD positions with the Astronomy and Astrophysics group at Warwick are available here.

Start Date: October 2023

Funding Duration: 3.5-4.0 years

Applications due by: 10 January 2023

Eligibility

You must have or expect a First or Upper second class MSci, MPhys or equivalent degree in Physics or a closely related discipline. Holders of BSc honours degrees are eligible but successful BSc applicants typically have substantial additional research experience. International equivalents are detailed here.

For students whose first language is not English, we normally require a score of 6.5 in IELTS or equivalent. If your previous degree was taught in an English-speaking country this requirement may be waived.

The award is available to home and international applicants.

How To Apply

You must apply through the University’s online application system and follow the instructions. Use course code P-F3P0. Make sure to state an interest in the Astronomy and Astrophysics group. Please state ‘Warwick Prize Scholarships’ as the funding option. We encourage applicants to express interest in more than one available PhD project.

 Funding Notes

The project will provide a full UK-standard annual tax-free stipend of £18,200, rising with inflation, plus allocations for travel and computing.