Master Thesis Student in Physics or Aerospace Engineering for investigating multi-aperture concept

The DLR Institute of Communications and Navigation is dedicated to mission-oriented research in selected areas of communications and navigation. Its work ranges from the theoretical foundations to the demonstration of new procedures and systems in a real environment and is embedded in DLR's Space, Aeronautics, Transport, Security and Digitalization programmes.

What to expect

The Institute of Communications and Navigation researches optical satellite communication and quantum key distribution (QKD) and operates optical ground stations (OGS) for these purposes. In this thesis you will investigate a scalable multi-aperture concept for optical receivers in which many small telescopes form a large effective collection area. Instead of a single large aperture with a complex adaptive-optics system, cost-efficient small apertures with simple tip/tilt tracking are combined coherently. This modular approach promises lower cost and weight as well as a system architecture that can be upgraded incrementally. You will analyse and model the optical performance of such an array (e.g. fibre coupling, impact of atmospheric turbulence) and study beam-combining techniques based on photonic integrated circuits. Your results will feed into ongoing research on QKD downlinks and coherent free-space optical communication.

Your tasks

• Literature review of multi-aperture receiver concepts and coherent beam combination
• Modelling and simulation of the optical performance, including, e.g., fibre-coupling efficiency, Fried parameter, tip/tilt correction
• Trade-off analysis of sub-aperture size, number and geometric arrangement
• Assessment of technologies for beam-combining: tip/tilt correction modules, fibre stretchers, photonic integrated circuits, closed-loop phase stabilization via reference signals
• Presentation of the results in a thesis

Your profile

• Ongoing Master’s studies in physics, aerospace engineering or a related field
• Basic knowledge of optics/photonics
• Good programming skills (e.g. Python, MATLAB or other scripting languages)
• Independent analytical way of working
• Fluency in English

 We look forward to getting to know you!

If you have any questions about this position (Vacancy-ID 5477) please contact:

Florian Moll

 Tel.: +49 (0) 8153 28 2876