Studying at MPA
The Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics (MPA) in Garching invites students to carry out their research at MPA. We welcome applicants from Germany and abroad. In principle there are two options for doing research at MPA:
- Bachelor/Master Thesis
- PhD Thesis
Bachelor's or Master's thesis
If you are interested in writing your bachelor- or master-thesis in cooperation with LMU/TUM and the MPA, please contact directly the researcher/s offering the project/s you are interested in. Please note that (co-)supervision from a faculty member at LMU or TUM is required, and that if your potential MPA supervisor is not a faculty at the University, he/she will discuss such arrangements with you. Also note that no financial support can be offered by MPA.
Here is a list of projects you can work on at MPA:
Enrico is a PostDoc and Benedetta is a staff member. Contact us
Research fields: first galaxies, cosmic reionization, numerical simulations
Description: the fields of galaxy formation and cosmic reionization are quickly converging. I have developed a state-of-the-art suite of simulations designed to simultaneously understand these two processes. The projects available deal either with the analysis and improvement of these simulations, or other topics related to cosmic reionization.
Example projects:
Dwarf spheroidal galaxies, such as those orbiting our own Milky Way, are some of the most intriguing objects in our Universe. They are the smallest galaxies that can form and are therefore sensitive probes of galaxy formation. They also are believed to be extremely dark matter dominated, making them interesting targets in the search for dark matter. The origin of the dwarf spheroidal galaxies, however, is not fully understood : they may be relics of reionization, a consequence of Milky Way’s tidal effects on bigger dwarfs, remnants of dwarf-dwarf mergers or some combination of the above. In this project, the student will study the formation and evolution of dwarf spheroidals in cosmological hydrodynamics simulations. They will then compare simulation predictions to the observed properties of Milky Way’s dwarf satellites. They will quantify the ability of state-of-the-art computational galaxy formation models to reproduce the properties of Milky Way’s dwarf spheroidal population as well as look for observational signatures which may help distinguish the formation pathways in specific cases.
Dwarf spheroidal galaxies are some of the most dark matter dominated objects in the Universe. This makes them promising targets in the search for dark matter. Looking for signatures of dark matter with gamma-ray telescopes requires knowledge of the dark matter distribution in dwarf spheroidals. As dark matter cannot be observed directly, the distribution is typically inferred using the motions of the stars, where full phase-space information is often unavailable. Moreover, modelling approaches most commonly employed in the literature make a number of assumptions: spherical symmetry of dwarf spheroidals, their lack of rotation and their dynamical equilibrium. All of these are known to be violated. In this project, the student will study the effects of the violation of these assumptions on the inferred dark matter distribution and thus establish realistic measurement errors that can be employed in gamma-ray data analysis, while simultaneously creating a library of simulated dwarf spheroidals on which more advanced modelling methods can be tested.
Max is a Max Planck Research Group Leader and Benedetta is a staff member at MPA. Contact us.
Research fields: first galaxies, cosmic reionization, numerical simulations
Description: The 'Epoch of Reionization' was the last major phase transition of the Universe and marks a frontier of research in astrophysics. In this project, you will develop a new probe which will enable us to test models of the evolution of this epoch. You will post-process state-of-the-art simulations and find out a way for observers to differentiate between different morphologies of neutral and ionized regions.
This is a numerical/theoretical thesis.
Research fields: galaxy evolution, circumgalactic medium
Description: Mysterious `halos' glowing at the Lyman-alpha wavelength (1216 Angstrom) surround most galaxies at the so-called "Cosmic noon" (around redshift 2-3). Where the energy producing this glow is coming from is still unclear. During this project you will investigate in what way powerful "galactic winds" contribute to the energy budged of these "Lyman-alpha halos". This project consists of two parts: in the first you will solve a set of differential equations to find out how much how much Lyman-alpha galactic winds can produce as a function of radius. In the second part, you will analyze actual observational data taken from the European Very Large Telescope in Chile and see if your model is compatible with these observations.
This is a theoretical and observational thesis.
Background:
Example Project:
Max is a Max Planck Research Group Leader and Benedetta is a staff member at MPA. Contact us.
Research fields: first galaxies, cosmic reionization, numerical simulations
Description: We know that the Universe turned from neutral to ionized in the so-called 'Epoch of Reionization'. However, we do not know yet how the photons that were responsible for this era escaped their host-galaxies as they can be absorbed by gas already inside the galaxies. Luckily for astrophysics, Lyman-alpha photons are susceptible to the same gas as ionizing photons. In this project, you will run your own radiative transfer simulations to figure out a link between the escape of ionizing and Lyman-alpha photons.
This is a numerical/theoretical thesis.
If you have more general questions, feel free to contact Dr. Thorsten Naab at naab@...
PhD thesis
A dissertation in cooperation with MPA can be done as an individually supervised project or through participation in our PhD-programme IMPRS.
International Max-Planck Research School (IMPRS) on Astrophysics
In collaboration with the Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics (MPE), the Observatory of the Ludwig Maximilians University (USM), and the European Southern Observatory (ESO), MPA offers excellent research opportunities in theoretical and observational astrophysics for IMPRS students, covering all wavelengths from radio waves to gamma rays. Students conduct their graduate studies in a very stimulating environment and have the opportunity to develop a broad background in astrophysics beyond their own dedicated research project. The MPA is one of the most renowned institutions for theoretical and computational astrophysics. Graduate students will receive comprehensive training in theoretical and observational astronomy covering the whole spectrum of research activities present in the participating institutes.
Link to the IMPRS web pages
You can find more information about the scientific work at MPA on the webpages of the various research areas:
Computational Structure Formation
Galaxy Formation and Evolution
High Energy Astrophysics
Physical Cosmology
Subgalactic Astrophysics
Information Field Theory
Programs for PhD students:
Max Planck PhDnet. It’s a network of Max Planck PhD students! This portal serves as a platform for exchange among doctoral researchers at Max Planck Institutes.
Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard-Foundation. The foundation supports young female scientists with children and aims to enable them to create the freedom required to further their scientific careers.