진학프로석·박사 채용 접수 플랫폼

The Department of Physics is offering a postdoctoral scholarship within the project of modelling the solar wind interaction with the Earth’s moon. The scholarship is full-time for two years starting from October 1st, 2025 or by agreement.

Although the Moon lacks a global intrinsic magnetic field, it hosts localized regions of crustal magnetization known as magnetic anomalies. These anomalies, which are unevenly distributed across the lunar surface, display non-dipolar characteristics and can reach magnetic field strengths of several hundred nano-Tesla in certain locations. 

Recent studies have shown that the interaction between the solar wind and lunar magnetic anomalies presents a complex and fundamental plasma physics challenge occurring at kinetic scales. Additionally, recent observations have revealed that some magnetic anomalies are capable of reflecting or deflecting a significant portion of the incoming solar wind, forming localized “mini magnetospheres” that offer partial protection of the lunar surface from solar plasma. 

The main objectives of this project are to develop a comprehensive understanding of the interactions between solar wind and lunar magnetic anomalies and to investigate how solar wind plasma precipitation contributes to surface weathering on the Moon. The duration of the project is two years, and to achieve our aims, we will employ the Amitis model (www.amitiscode.com), an advanced GPU-based hybrid-kinetic plasma simulation developed by the project leader, Dr. Fatemi. The stipend scholarship is for two years, financed by the Kempe Foundation for 360,000 SEK per year, and is tax-free.