Intern in the Science Engagement and Oversight Office, Gaia searches for neutron star companions

Internship Opportunity in the Science Engagement and Oversight Office: Gaia Searches for Neutron Star Companions

Our team and mission

Under the direct authority of D/SCI, the Head of the Science Engagement and Oversight Office is responsible for overseeing the scientific content of the Programme, interfacing with the scientific community and providing scientific expertise to studies, projects and missions, also in other Directorates as needed.

Field(s) of activity for the internship

Topic of the internship: Searching for former companions to young neutron stars with Gaia

Most massive stars are born in binaries or high order systems. In binaries, when the first star goes supernova, the binary is thought to unbind in most cases. The newborn neutron star and former companion star then travel away from each other. Direct observational constraints on this process have wide ranging implications, e.g. for the formation rate of binary compact objects.

In this project, based at the European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESA/ESTEC), the intern will use the Gaia DR3 catalogue to search for former binary companions to young pulsars: if the proper motion of a pulsar is known, we can search for Gaia stars whose past trajectories intersect the past trajectory of the pulsar. The intern will evaluate the probability that candidates are truly associated and compare their properties with expectations for recently ejected companion stars. The sample size will be much larger than in previous studies, and the results of this systematic search will provide the new benchmark for observational constraints on unbound neutron star companions.

Depending on progress, there is the possibility of (co-)authorship of a paper publishing the results following the internship.

Behavioural competencies

• Result Orientation
• Operational Efficiency
• Fostering Cooperation
• Relationship Management
• Continuous Improvement
• Forward Thinking

Education

You must be a university student, preferably studying at master’s level. In addition, you must be able to prove that you will be enrolled at your University for the entire duration of the internship.

Additional requirements

• The working languages of the Agency are English and French. A good knowledge of one of these is required. Knowledge of another ESA Member State language is an asset.
• Proficiency in a programming language, preferably python.
• Basic understanding of high-mass stellar evolution and binary stars (e.g. through undergraduate astronomy courses).

Nationality

Applications are only considered from nationals of one of the following States: Austria, Belgium, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Applicants from Canada as a Cooperating State can apply as well as those from Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus and Malta as European Cooperating States (ECS).