Detectors and Science Implications for the Habitable Worlds Telescope

Project highlights:

• The Habitable World Observatory is the next NASA flagship mission, and the development of UV-optimised detectors is of key importance to its success
• The student will gain experience in UV imaging and instrumentation for space applications while linking detector performance to the scientific output of the mission.
• The work will be done in collaboration with numerous national and international partners, especially NASA, and will allow the student to build an invaluable professional network.

Project description:

This exciting project on the upcoming NASA Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO) straddles the areas of Space Instrumentation and Astronomy. Bringing together academics from the two research areas will provide a unique opportunity within this studentship to understand not only the technology development but also the impact the technology performance has on the key science drivers of the mission.

The Ultra-Violet (UV) part of the spectrum, which lies between X-rays and visible light, is very important for many astronomical topics including characterisation of exoplanet atmosphere and surface composition, star formation and evolution, chemical enrichment of nearby galaxies and clusters, etc. However, UV light is very effectively blocked by Earth’s atmosphere and space borne UV telescopes are therefore essential, especially if faint objects are targeted.

The next NASA flagship space telescope, The Habitable Worlds Observatory (HWO), will be targeting a wide wavelength range, with special emphasis on the UV. Development and testing of UV-optimised detectors are therefore of great importance. Silicon-based detectors are still preferred, but silicon is highly absorbing at UV wavelengths and the incoming photons get stopped in the “dead layers” covering the top few nanometres of the detector surface. Even with UV-optimised anti-reflective coatings, silicon detectors will only detect <50% of incoming photons at UV wavelengths (70-350 nm). To maximise the scientific return from these missions, technologies are being developed to maximise the detection efficiency in the UV band.

The Centre of Electronic Imaging is leading this detector development and testing for HWO and other UV space telescopes and has extensive testing facilities that will be used to assess the performance of these detectors.

The student will be working closely with Teledyne e2v (Te2v), a world-leading provider of detectors for space and ground-based telescopes, and the team at the Open University that is working on the detectors for CASTOR, a Canadian led UV space telescope. This work includes testing, developing and space qualifying the UV coatings and detectors for the main instrument, and is part of a collaboration with NASA/JPL and several UK and Canadian research institutions.

While ensuring the best performance of the detectors is key to the HWO science aims, exactly how the detectors impact the leading science drivers must be fully understood. In collaboration between academics in Space Instrumentation and the CEI, the student will work with academics in Astronomy to model how the performance of the detectors, especially in the UV region, impacts the spectroscopic information that can be recovered from the scientific data. HWO will be the first telescope that will allow direct imaging of temperate and cool planets, analogous to those in our own solar system. The student will use NEMESISPY, a radiative transfer and spectral inversion tool, to simulate the reflected light spectra of a range of hypothetical HWO target planets, including Jupiter, Venus and Earth-like worlds. They will use these simulations to determine how different short wavelength limits in the UV would affect the information that can be recovered about these targets, in particular whether different atmospheric gases would be detectable or not. Key UV-detectable species include ammonia and phosphine for cool gas giant targets, and sulphur dioxide and ozone for rocky Venus or Earth-like planets.

The project therefore offers the opportunity to gain knowledge of both the technical and scientific side of HWO, in collaboration between the Space Instrumentation and Astronomy research areas in the School of Physical Sciences, and be a part of a larger international team in the early phase of the definition of a large space telescope.

Qualifications required: a BSc 2:1 or a MSc in physics, astronomy, or a similar area.

How to apply

If you would like to apply then please read the guidance on applying for a PhD studentship here and e-mail the following to STEM-SPS-PHD@open.ac.uk by the application deadline 23rd January 2025 :

• a completed Application form UK if you are classed as a home student, or Application form non-UK if you are an international student.
• an up to date CV.
• a list of individual courses taken and grades obtained.
• a personal statement.
• any other relevant information that you think may support your case for consideration.

You do not need to submit a research proposal, as it is already defined by us. You are encouraged to contact the lead supervisor of the project(s) for any informal enquiries.

Interviews will take place remotely on 5-7 February 2025. 

Advice and Guidance

Please contact STEM-SPS-PHD@open.ac.uk with any questions about general administration, eligibility, suitability, funding or the nature of the PhD research. Our PhD administrators Debbie Briggs/Charlotte Coakley and postgraduate research tutor Richard Greenwood will be happy to answer any questions you may have.

If you have questions about specific projects, please contact the lead supervisor named on the project.

We are committed to widening participation and awarding PhD studentships to a diverse community of applicants. We particularly welcome applications from under-represented groups. Equal Opportunity is University policy.