Master thesis (f/m/x): Characterization of optical turbulence induced noise in a lidar setup

What to expect

It is well known that optical turbulence has detrimental effects on optical measurements such as in astronomy (seeing) or in free-space communication. The same is true for laser-based atmospheric lidar systems. With the objective of measuring wind speeds and turbulence as an input for feed-forward flight control, an interferometry-based Doppler wind lidar (DWL) has been successfully realized ( and is being continuously improved and validated. The objective of the thesis is evaluating the turbulence induced noise during this measurement.
Are you enthusiastic about astronomy and turbulence, eager to develop theory on the blackboard and validate it in the lab? Then, you are the right person for our team! Come join us!

Your tasks

• theoretical-physical description of interactions of the laser radiation with the atmospheric medium, its geometry etc.
• Extension of the propagation and wind retrieval libraries of AMALIA, our internally built lidar digital twin
• Implementation and test of different OTG (optical turbulence generator) configurations in the lab
• Analysis of the lab results with characterization of the generated turbulence
• Cross-validation of the expected and measured response of the lidar receiver system

Your profile 

• currently enrolled in the last year of a master degree in astronomy, physics, optics, engineering, mathematics or similar
• Experience in handling lasers, optics and electronics in the lab
• strong programming skills in programming, preferably in Matlab, Python
• interdisciplinary communication in English
• good knowledge of geometric and physical optics
  

Remuneration is up to the German TVöD EG05 depending on qualifications and assigned tasks.