PhD Postion in Experimental Characterisation of Icy Moons' Surfaces

PhD Postion in Experimental Characterisation of Icy Moons' Surfaces

In our solar system, most extraterrestrial oceans lie beneath thick ice layers on moons orbiting Jupiter and Saturn. These subsurface oceans, warmed by tidal forces and isolated from sunlight, are prime candidates for hosting life. On Saturn’s moon Enceladus, ocean water escapes through geysers (plumes) via crevasses in the icy surface, reaching the exosphere. Cassini performed many flybys through the plumes and found that the plumes are salty and contain complex organic molecules (Postberg et al.

2018), suggesting that crucial ingredients for life as we know it are present beneath the moon's icy crust. Studying Enceladus's plumes and surface can provide crucial insights into its habitability, the structure of its crevasses and the depth of its ocean. By observing these plumes, we can infer the composition of subsurface oceans, by recognising and characterising icy grains that are originate directly from the ocean, which is an important step until lander missions, for instance such as ESA's L4 Enceladus mission, can directly explore these environments.

Icy moons are top priorities in the search for extraterrestrial life in the solar system, with Enceladus being a prime target for future landing missions. To support such missions, this project aims to replicate Enceladus’s environment in the laboratory to predict and constrain Enceladus’ surface characteristics and plume dynamics by using PISCES (Planetary Ices Simulation Chamber for Enceladus and MoonS), currently the first facility in the world to simulate the plumes of Enceladus.

This project will also investigate the structure and morphology of other icy moons in our solar system (Ganymede or Europa) by performing experiments under temperature and pressure close to these moons' environments. This project will benefit ESA missions to icy moons and related technology developments (including payloads) and observations (JWST), and refine our understanding of subsurface ocean composition and icy moons’ habitability.

With this project, you will determine the properties of an icy moon analog surface through a series of laboratory experiments accounting for gravity, temperature fluctuations, and radiation effects. Icy grains will be created and deposited under icy moon-like conditions, with the deposition surface oriented at the chamber's floor, ceiling, or an incline to simulate how different gravity directions affect ice compaction.

Once representative icy surfaces are produced, their mechanical properties as well as characteristics (porosity, grain sizes, morphology) will be measured (in collaboration with ESTEC, drawing on its expertise in material strength testing). These tests will be repeated across different temperatures and particle sizes to characterise their influence on surface mechanics.

The resulting properties will inform (1) the design of landers for future missions, and (2) the scientific interpretation of future mission data, by linking measured surface properties to processes such as resurfacing and temperature-driven deposition.

Job requirements

Applicants are expected to have a university degree (MSc) in physics, astronomy, Earth and/or planetary sciences, or a related area, with a strong background in and expertise with experimental techniques (e.g., experience with UHV technology, mass spectrometry, flow dynamics or IR spectroscopy). Applicants must be proficient in spoken and written English.

The successful candidate will be granted a temporary employment contract with the university for a period of 4 years (48 months), with an evaluation at the end of the first year. Within the contract period, the candidate is expected to produce a dissertation (PhD thesis) of sufficient quality for him/her to be awarded a PhD.

TU Delft (Delft University of Technology)

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