The Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research in Göttingen, Germany, invites applications for a postdoctoral position to work on the active binary asteroid 288P/300163.
The Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research (MPS) in Göttingen, Germany, invites applications for a postdoctoral position to study the binary active asteroid 288P (300163). The position will be for a period of at least 6 months, and up to 3.5 years, depending on the outcome of a funding proposal that has been submitted and is expected to be evaluated by the end of March. The starting date should ideally be on 1 July 2018 or earlier.
The position:
The applicant is expected to carry out research on the formation and evolution of the 288P system, focussing on the following topics:
- Possible formation of the binary system by rotational splitting and subsequent tidal processes.
- Possible collisional formation of the system.
- Longevity of sublimation activity and influence of the activity on the binary orbit.
- Observational biases and estimated abundance of similar binary systems.
The goal of the work will be to reconstruct the sequence of events and processes that led to the formation of the 288P system.