X-ray laboratory astrophysics

The NASA Postdoctoral Program (NPP) offers unique research opportunities to highly-talented scientists to engage in ongoing NASA research projects. This specific opportunity focuses on X-ray laboratory astrophysics at Goddard Space Flight Center. The research involves analysis of data from calorimeter and grating instruments for high resolution x-ray spectroscopic observations of astrophysical objects, requiring high quality atomic data. The project participates in several ongoing laboratory astrophysics collaborations aimed at providing data for interpretation of observations by Chandra, XMM, and future missions including XRISM, Athena, Arcus, and Lynx. The fellowship deploys high resolution X-ray calorimeter arrays using doped silicon thermistors and transition edge sensors (TES) at facilities including the LLNL electron beam ion trap laboratory and the SLAC linac coherent light source, allowing measurements of transition energies, oscillator strengths, and electron impact excitation cross sections. The position includes participation in archiving and publicizing atomic data, along with astrophysical modeling and targeted atomic physics calculations. These competitive fellowships are one to three years in duration and are designed to advance NASA's missions in space science, Earth science, aeronautics, space operations, exploration systems, and astrobiology.