Optical Engineer in Adaptive Optics for Ground-Based Laser Momentum Transfer

The Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft (www.fraunhofer.com) currently operates 76 institutes and research units throughout Germany and is a leading applied research organization. Around 32 000 employees work with an annual research budget of 3.4 billion euros.

Ihre Aufgaben

Department Signatorics at the Fraunhofer Institute for Optronics, System Technologies and Image Exploitation IOSB in Ettlingen is offering a full-time position on the subject of adaptive optics (AO). The position is based in the Adaptive Optics Group, where research activities focus on laser propagation through turbulence (particularly along horizontal paths and in strong turbulence) and free-space laser communications. Notable research achievements include the development of a holographic wavefront sensor with a bandwidth in the 100 kHz range, a patented angular transmission wavefront sensor, and modal wavefront-sensorless AO. The group has participated in several international collaborations and experiments and has had projects funded by foreign agencies, in particular from the aerospace and defense sector. Further information about the Adaptive Optics Group at Fraunhofer IOSB can be found at www.iosb.fraunhofer.de/adaptive-optics.

Motivation

At present, there are more than 22,000 space debris objects in low Earth orbit (LEO) that are tracked and catalogued. In the same orbital regime, there are estimated to be 150 million fragments of human-created junk, all less than 1 mm in size, travelling at 8-12 km/s. This underscores the pressing need for effective solutions to address space situational awareness, tracking and imaging of space objects, space debris removal, and collision avoidance.

In recent years, several laser-based concepts for orbit modification have been proposed, including the use of pulsed lasers with high energy to perform orbit modification through laser ablation and highpower, continuous-wave lasers for debris nudging by photon pressure. In the ESA-funded project "ADAMO", Fraunhofer IOSB, Fraunhofer IOF, and HEIG-VD will develop demonstrator(s) for AO technologies, which are necessary to efficiently pre-compensate highenergy lasers in order to make laser momentum transfer (LMT) effective in LEO.

Goals The project's key objectives are to design an AO system capable of compensating for the quickly changing wavefront distortions induced by atmospheric turbulence and telescope slew. The future system will utilise a laser guide star for high-order aberrations and sunlight reflected from debris for low-order aberrations (tip/tilt). The project will involve the development of a demonstrator to validate the key AO system's functionalities in a controlled laboratory environment, which will be vital for derisking the technology before deployment. The focus lies in the development of the key components of an LMT-AO system, which include: (1) a deformable mirror (DM) for pre-compensation of the high-power uplink (Fraunhofer IOF), (2) a fast wavefront sensor (WFS) for accurate measurements (Fraunhofer IOSB), and (3) a control system to effectively command the DM (HEIG-VD).

What you will do

• Systematic trade-off study involving holographic, heterodyne, Shack-Hartmann, and angular transmission WFS

• Preliminary modelling through e.g. error budgets; software and hardware prototyping

• Design of subsystems for turbulence emulation, wavefront sensing and correction

• Setting up a lab-based demonstrator, system testing and iteration

• Supervision of additional personnel to be involved in this work

• Frequent interaction with partners in the project and technical officer(s) at ESA; project management at Fraunhofer IOSB, participation in reviews, preparation of reports and deliverables

Ihr Profil

• You possess an M.Sc., M.Eng. or Diploma, or a higher academic title in a relevant discipline (physics or electrical engineering)

• At least 5 years of project-based experience in optical engineering and / or adaptive optics

• You have experience with Matlab, Python, LabView or Julia programming languages and development environments

• You can work independently and have very good time- and effort-management skills

Wir bieten Ihnen

• Opportunity to work in diverse, exciting projects at the interface between research and application, present and future

• You will have access to exceptionally equipped laboratories

• A motivated team of experts in the fields of turbulence, telecommunications and high-energy laser physics

• Participation in scientific conferences and training courses is strongly encouraged, as is the publication of results in scientific journals

• A wide range of further training

• Family-friendly conditions (flexible working hours, home-office regulations in line with the requirements of the position, etc.)

• Discounted Jobticket

  Remuneration up to TVöD pay group 14 (dependent on qualifications).

  The employment is on a fixed-term 3 year contract with the possibility of prolongation. The weekly working time is 39 hours. This position is also available on a part-time basis. We value and promote the diversity of our employees' skills and therefore welcome all applications - regardless of age, gender, nationality, ethnic and social origin, religion, ideology, disability, sexual orientation and identity. Severely disabled persons are given preference in the event of equal suitability. Appointment, remuneration and social security benefits based on the public-sector collective wage agreement (TVöD). Additionally Fraunhofer may grant performance-based variable remuneration components.