Post-doc opportunities
New positions available:
Post-doc position ``Temporal and spectral variability of neutron stars in the optical, UV and X-ray energy bands'' -- Deadline: 10th Jan 2024 [OPEN]
Post-doc position ``Uncovering the optical beat of the fastest magnetised neutron stars (FANS)'' Jan 23 [CLOSED]
Post-doc position ``Cutting-edge strategies to identify new GEMS'' Feb 23 [CLOSED]
Post-doc position ``Too B or not too B: the quest for the PULX emission mechanism'' Apr 23 [CLOSED]
Fellowships: we welcome young enthusiastic colleagues who would like to apply for a fellowship to work with us! Opportunities include European grants (e.g. the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions) and national INAF grants (e.g. the Astrofit fellowships). If you are interested, please contact us, we will be happy to assist you through the application process!
Short visits: we are very open to and welcome short visits by our collaborators and friends. Our Observatory has a guesthouse that our guests can use. If you feel like coming to work with us for a short while, please contact us, and we will explore together the possibilities.
Contact: HEAG.oaroma @ gmail.com
Available Theses
This is an incomplete list of available theses: for more information contact the group at the e-mail address reported at the bottom of the page
Magnetars
Magnetars are the strongest magnets in the Universe and are isolated nutron star with many distinctive properties. Their X-ray emission is in excess of their rotational energy, suggeting that the magnetic field decay is responsible for their emission. Our group is studying both already known and and new objects of the class. Among the possible works are:
- Study of the magnetar CXO J164710.2-455216 in the open cluster Westerlund 1 as seen by EWOCS, and search for new compact objects in the star cluster Westerlund 1;
- Long-based monitoring of the Galactic Center magnetar SGR J1745-2900
The work will be focused on the timing and spectral analysis of archival and proprietary data Results will be interpreted within the framework of the magnetar theory(ies).
Contact: gianluca.israel @ inaf.it
Jets in X-ray binaries
- Timing analysis of fast-timing, simultaneous infrared and X-ray observations of black-hole transients: We have collected a number of exciting datasets, observing different X-ray binaries - all harbouring an accreting black hole - simultaneously with the infrared fast photometer HAWK-I (mounted on the 8-m class ESO telescope VLT) and with different X-ray satellites/instruments (including the ESA telescope XMM-Newton and the NASA instrument NICER mounted on the Space Station). Many of these datasets have yet to be harnessed, applying state-of-the-art timing techniques. The student can focus on different aspects of the project - from the physical interpretation of the results to the development of more advanced timing techniques - depending on their attitude.
- Long-term monitoring of black-hole transients: We have collected a large amount of data, observing routinely different X-ray binaries - all harbouring an accreting black hole - with the INAF robotic telescope REM, which observes simultaneously in 5 bands (4 optical and 1 near-infrared). Parallel X-ray monitoring is available through the all-sky monitors onboard X-ray satellites. In many cases, contemporaneous radio observations were carried out by our collaborators. This wealth of multi-wavelength data is largely yet to be harnessed, applying standard data reduction techniques and eventually state-of-the-art spectral modelling.
Contact: piergiorgio.casella @ inaf.it
Search and study of new X-ray pulsars and/or pulsating ULXs
Our group is involved in the search of new X-ray pulsators in the public archives of high energy missions by using ad hoc algorithms developed in order to cope the specific time properties of different classes of pulsators. Moreover, we are continuing developing new tools for timing analysis and widen the number of public archives where to apply our codes.
Correspondingly, there are different possible work directions. Among others are:
- Search and study of a sample of new pulsators: Among the > 100 new pulsators identified by our searches, a large number is still awaiting for a detailed study and classification. Timing and spectroscopic analysis are a fundamental tools to infer a number of important parameters of the accreting object.
- Application of the search algorithm to non imaging instruments: non imaging instruments collect light (X-ray photons) from a given direction in the sky very efficiently but with no capability of positioning. Correspondingly, many X-ray sources with different flux levels might be recorded within the same datasets. Accelerated searches increase the capability of detecting X-ray pulsars moving in binary systems and/or with a strong first period derivative.
Contact: gianluca.israel @ inaf.it
The challenge of optical millisecond pulsars
Our group is one of the key players in the study and characterization of millisecond pulsars, the fastest spinning neutron stars known. Either the quick rotation of the star's magnetic field or the accretion of matter captured from a companion star powers the emission of radio and X-ray MSPs, respectively.
Our group has recently discovered the first MSPs showing coherent pulsations in the optical band. This was possible thanks to the fast photometer SiFAP2 that our group operates from the INAF Telescopio Nazionale Galileo (TNG). Neither spin nor accretion-powered scenarios could explain the observed data separately, requiring a paradigm shift. In order to single out the physical mechanism behind optical pulsations, we have performed SiFAP2 observations of a sample of MSPs in different states.
The proposed thesis work relies on the search and characterization of periodic signals in such proprietary data. During the work, the student would gain an expertise in timing analysis of astronomical datasets. In particular, he/she will learn how to search for weak periodic signals with a frequency modulated by binary motion.
Contact: alessandro.papitto @ inaf.it