Under the direct authority of the Directorate of Science, the Head of the Science Engagement and Oversight Office is responsible for overseeing the scientific content of the Programme, interfacing with the scientific community and providing scientific expertise to studies, projects and missions, also in other Directorates as needed.

Candidates interested are encouraged to visit the ESA website: http://www.esa.int

Field(s) of activity for the internship

Topic of the internship: Exploring Elemental Composition Across the Solar Atmospheric Layers

The solar atmosphere is a complex system primarily composed of hydrogen and helium, with trace amounts of metals. These elemental abundances serve as key tracers of physical processes throughout the solar atmosphere and in the solar wind. The First Ionization Potential (FIP) effect governs changes in these abundances, with low-FIP elements often enhanced in active regions and slow solar wind sources.

Current theories suggest that abundance enhancement begins in the lower solar atmosphere and propagates outward. However, compositional variability across atmospheric layers remains very poorly understood. The Solar Orbiter mission, launched in 2020, provides unprecedented insights into these processes with its suite of instruments capable of tracing compositions from the Sun to the solar wind.

internship project Objectives

This internship project, to be conducted at the European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESA/ESTEC), aims to investigate and understand the link between spatially resolved composition measurements observed by two space missions for the first time: JAXA/ESA’s Hinode and ESA’s Solar Orbiter.

Project Objectives:

• Analyze and compare elemental abundance data from Hinode/EIS and Solar Orbiter/SPICE, using a new composition diagnostic designed for a future mission;
• Quantify the correlation of elemental composition across different solar atmospheric layers and structures.

For the detailed topic description please visit the following webpage: https://www.cosmos.esa.int/web/esac-trainees/4.-estec.-exploring-elemental-composition-across-the-solar-atmospheric-layers

Behavioural competencies

• Result Orientation
• Operational Efficiency
• Fostering Cooperation
• Relationship Management
• Continuous Improvement
• Forward Thinking

For more information, please refer to ESA Core Behavioural Competencies guidebook