Measuring the universe with nearby and distant supernovae
Saul Perlmutter, Professor
Physics
Closed. This professor is continuing with Fall 2024 apprentices on this project; no new apprentices needed for Spring 2025.
Type Ia supernovae are used to measure the rate at which our Universes is expanding, today and over the past 10 billion years. In the past we used Type Ia supernovae to discover that the expansion of the universe is speeding up. Now we have developed new techniques for making even more accurate measurements of the universe, which we are eager to implement.
Role: We are looking for undergraduate research interns to collaborate with us on cutting-edge projects, such as:
1) the application of machine learning and Hubble Space Telescope images to make more accurate measurements of the rate of the expansion of the universe
2) robotization and data acquisition software for a remote telescope and spectrograph, in order to determine supernova characteristics and map the motions of their host galaxies through space
3) simulations and projections to support the upcoming Roman Space Telescope and the Legacy Survey of Space Time observations of distant supernovae.
4) studies for an innovative new large space telescope.
Some components of these projects offer the potential for taking nighttime observations of active supernovae using remote telescopes in Hawaii and Chile.
Qualifications: As these projects make heavy use of computer software, in your application please tell us about any experience you have with python, git/github, Linux-like environment and scripting, machine-learning, SQL databases, website construction, etc. Experience or interest in porting heritage pipeline and operations software (fortran, perl, C++, Tkl, Java J2SE 1.4) to a modern computing environment would also be very valuable for some projects. Prior astronomy or physics research experience is not a prerequisite; students with backgrounds in computer science, data science, or aerospace, electrical or mechanical engineering are most welcome to apply. As these are components of a comprehensive program, we prefer students who are interested in working with us for more than one semester.
Day-to-day supervisor for this project: Dr. Greg Aldering (staff scientist) and Dr. Taylor Hoyt (post-doc)
Hours: 9-11 hrs
Off-Campus Research Site: Currently we can offer any mix of remote or in-person work (sited at the Physics Division building 50 at the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab).
Engineering, Design & Technologies Mathematical and Physical Sciences