Available projects – Solar terrestrial and atmospheric research (Kiruna)
Meteor camera data analysis
(master thesis)
We are currently installing a network of meteor cameras in northern Scandinavia. The cameras are called AllSky7 ( https://www.allsky7.net/#equipment ) and we want to use the analysis methods used by the Global Meteor Network and the Western University meteor group to analyse the data.
Both source codes for these projects are openly available at https://github.com/CroatianMeteorNetwork/RMS and https://github.com/wmpg/WesternMeteorPyLib .
This thesis project would consist of implementing this meteor analysis on the camera data and then examining the results.
During this project you would:
– Understand the steps needed to fully analyse a video meteor event, understand the basic physics of the meteor phenomena
– Learn how to perform astrometry calibration on image data as well as compile databases of meteor events
– Design and implement a pipeline, learning how to do scientific software development
Skills: Data analysis, programming, image processing
Program: Physics major
Language: Python
Published in November 2024
Interactive Earth orbit dynamics playground (space safety)
(project work) Develop a software where we can use `Orekit` to compare different orbits, propagators, propagator settings and play with settings to get intuitive feeling of orbital dynamics and propagators, as well as their advantages and limitations through visualizations. Language: Java and Python
Contact person: Dr. Daniel Kastinen, daniel.kastinen@irf.se
Published in October 2023
Adaptive beam-forming and beam-spoiling
(master thesis) A phased array radar can transmit signals in different directions by applying phase offsets to the transmitting units. Usually a simple plane phase offset is applied to direct the beam in a single direction with as high directivity as possible. However, it is possible to modify these phases so that e.g. certain regions of the sky receive minimal radiation while others receive maximal, or e.g. the transmitted radiation is spread over a larger area.
- Implement the adaptive beam-forming and beam spoiling technique into the `metecho` library.
- Use the techniques together with radar radiation pattern models in `pyant` to show that multi-target space debris tracking, wide-illumination meteor experiments, predictable hard target clutter minimization is possible.
Skills: Mathematics, radar technology, programming Program: Physics major Language: C/C++ and Python
Contact person: Dr. Daniel Kastinen, daniel.kastinen@irf.se
Published in October 2023
Orbit determination testing and implementation (space safety)
(master thesis) We have a package called `odlab` that we use to test and experiment with different orbit determination methods and to implement the suitable ones in data reduction pipelines.
- Implement orbit determination using `Orekit` and make the implementation callable from `odlab`.
- Evaluate `StoneSoup` and `orbdetpy` as orbit determination libraries, implement and test and compare them with the `Orekit` implementation.
Skills: Orbital dynamics, programming Program: Physics major/computer science Language: Java and Python
Contact person: Dr. Daniel Kastinen, daniel.kastinen@irf.se
Published in October 2023