Dr. Jörg-Uwe Pott - Astrophysicist

Max Planck Institute for Astronomy (MPIA) in Heidelberg - Personal webpage

My name is Jörg-Uwe Pott, and I am a staff member in the Galaxies and Cosmology department at the Max Planck Insitute for Astronomy. I am leading the workgroup JuHeart, which is tackling various challenges of experimental astrophysics. I am also the instrument scientist of the ELT first-light instrument MICADO. Optical high-angular resolution instrumentation is one of my research foci. Please check out these webpages for an overview on our projects, and find my contact details below.

About me

The recognition of one's absolute freedom of choice is the fundamental condition for authentic human existence. (or: how to do philosophy in a beach bar...)

My name is Jörg-Uwe Pott, and I am a staff member in the Galaxies and Cosmology department at the Max Planck Insitute for Astronomy.
Below, or via the navigation menu, I present my research program, which is centered on learning more about massive black holes in the universe with using and developing high angular resolution instrumentation at optical telescope in the visible to near-infrared observing wavelength domain. In particular I focus on adaptive optics and interferometric instrumentation, to image the last stages of matter accretion on black holes through cosmic times. We also develop astrometric techniques to weigh black hole masses directly, with a particular focus understanding and pushing the fundamental limits of this technique.

You can find my curriculum vitae here: CV

Employment history

Undergraduate and graduate studies

  • Prof. Dr. Andreas Eckart's group at I. Physikalisches Institut, University of Cologne, Germany
  • Dr. Andreas Glindemann at the VLTI group, at ESO headquarters, Garching bei München, Germany

Postdoc years

LONGTERM COLLABORATIONS

  • Ric Davies, Reinhard Genzel, and team at Max-Planck Institute for extra-terrestrial physics (MPE) on the development of MICADO, Garching b. M., DE: http://www.mpe.mpg.de/ir/micado
  • Paolo Ciliegi and team (ELT MAORY PI, INAF Bologna, IT ) on the development of MAORY to realize imaging and astrometry with ELT/MICADO at highest precision
  • Martin Roth, on Astrophotonics developments at innoFSPEC centre Leibniz Institute for Astrophysics Potsdam (AIP), Potsdam, Germany: https://innofspec.de/en/
  • Rainer Schödel (IAA-Granada, ES), Lucas Labadie (Univ. Cologne, DE), Bruno Lopez (VLTI-MATISSE) on the development of high-resolution imaging with adaptive optics and interferometry

JuHeart - Workgroup

Current group members

Name Topic
Dr. Robert HarrisSystems engineering, astrophotonics
Dr. Felix BoscoSpectroastrometry, AGN
Jacob IsbellOptical interferometry, AGN
Sebastian MesslingerImaging astrometry, PSF estimation
Joshua JostFabry Perot element, astrophotonics
Paul MercatorisDust reverberation mapping, AGN

Current group resources

Name Topic Link / URL
JuHeart on slackcommunicationjuheart.slack.com
JuHeart on GitHubrepositoriesgithub.com/JuHeart
JuHeart wikilocal non-public infompia/trac/juheart
MICADO wikilocal non-public infompia/trac/MICADO

Associated group members

Name Topic
Mortiz StraubControl engineering, MICADO
Dr. Santiago BarbozaOpto-mechanical engineering, MICADO
Dr. André Boné Optical design, MICADO
Philipp Hottinger Astrophotonics, KOOL
Saavi Perera Adaptive optics systems engineering, P-REx

Open positions

Funded graduate or post-graduate job openings will be posted in AAS, when available.
Additionally, individual stipends and fellowships to support your graduate and postgraduate research project are available from DFG, Humbold-Gesellschaft, and the Marie-Curie Fellowships of the European Union.
Bachelor- and Masterprojects both in astronomy and related engineering disciplines are possible, in collaboration with your university and within the above research scope of my group.

If you are interested, please contact me, with a brief CV, and description of your research ideas.

Research

News - hot off the press

Press release: How to weigh a quasar

Overview

I am interested in black holes, in particular in the astrophysics of black hole environments, and how they are related to galaxy evolution. The research in my group focuses to equal amounts on the classical three aspects of observational astronomy, which need to be developed in close interaction to successfully push the limits of astronomy and astrophysics to new horizons:

  • Data analysis and interpretation
    We mostly observe active galactic nuclei (short: AGN) at highest angular resolution to reveal their basic physical properties, typically on linear scales between 10 mpc and 10 pc.
  • Development of new observational strategies
    Focus lies on high-angular resolution instrumentation and related observing strategies. This means in particular using modern infrared interferometers, like the VLTI, the LBT, and Keck-IF, typically in combination with adaptive optics technology.
  • Building instrumentation
    Vibration sensing and development of related control strategies to improve the sensitivity of our cameras is a currently hot topic for us. We are directly involved in major instrumentation initiatives (LBT/LINC-NIRVANA, E-ELT/MICADO, VLTI/MATISSE), which will typically deliver a 10x higher resolution (sharpness of the image) than todays ground- or space-based instruments.

Projects

MiAGN

VLTI-MATISSE imaging of the mid-infrared emission (dusty torus clouds) of nearby active galactic nuclei.








SPAM

Spectro-astrometry with 8m-class adaptive-optics assisted spectrometers of the broad line region clouds of nearby active galactic nuclei




P-REx

Develop predictive algorithms for sensitive fringe-tracking, and eventually allow to track optical interferometers on fainter AGN.









DRM

Dust reverberation mapping of nearby low-luminosity AGN to explore the torus formation.

Ground-based astrometry

Develop an python-based astrometric pipeline for precise imaging astrometry from the ground with large telescopes.

Find here a recent talk, in which some more details on our work are presented: ppt

Instrumentation

Current Projects

ELT first light camera MICADO

As instrument scientist of the MICADO instrument, I develop the calibration strategies, with a particular emphasis on the astrometric performance. Goal is to reach photon-noise limited centroiding of 20uas over the central 20 arcsec field of view. My group develops key elements to reach that goal.
I am also leading the development of the MICADO warm relay optics, and the calibration unit, which together can imitate the star light, and optimally supports the MICADO science data calibration.
More on the MICADO project you can find: here


OVMS - the the optical path difference and vibration monitoring system for the LBT

My team lead the develepment and implementation of the accelerometer based vibration monitoring system. Structural vibrations are at the same time unavoidable in modern large telescopes, and limiting the optical performance similar to atmospheric turbulence. Active and passive vibration mitigation helps to reach the diffraction limit, in particular for faint stars and galaxies. OVMS serves both purposes: it helps the observatory team to monitor the vibration levels, and hunt down old or new vibration sources for mitigation. In addition to such off-line usage, we developed a real-time interface to the LBTI fringe tracker, to help suppress telescope-induced differential piston vibrations. More on the project you can find: here


Laboratories -> link to Labs

Past Projects

KI-ASTRA

The Keck interferometer was pioneering the use of modern adaptive-optics assisted 8-10m class telescopes for long-baseline interferometry. The NSF-funded ASTRA project brought off-axis phase-referencing capabilities to the KI to enhance the sensitivity on faint stars, and allow for spectro-astrometry at higher spectral resolution.
More on the project you can find: here


Sensitive fringe tracking for VLTI and LBT

We studies in particular the use of the K-band dispersed fringe tracking to track the variable water vapor amounts, and properly predict and stabilize the fringe position at mid-infrared wavelength. This techniques can be used to increase the signal-to-noise ratio in VLTI-MIDI and -MATISSE data. This work contributed to the definition of the curren Gra4Mat projects, which engages the VLTI-Gravity fringe tracking infrastructure for MATISSE interferometric imaging.
I was also system engineering the LINC fringe tracking unit for the LBT instrument LINC-NIRVANA, and eventually developed a predictive algorithm called P-REx which we currently test on VLTI data. More on the project you can find under: research


Telescopes

Below are links to a number of telescopes I have used and worked for in my career. There is a focus on optical observatories, and high angular resolution.

VLT observatory

The European Southern Observatory operates a unique suite of 4 8m class telescopes, which can be combined as intereferometer (VLT-I). I develeped methods to push the sensitivity of the mid-infrared interferometric instrumentation, and we currently use MATISSE to take the first direct images of the immediate, dusty environments of active galactic nuclei.
More on the observatory project's you can find: ESO; VLT Paranal instrumentation; VLTI-Matisse; VLTI-MIDI


Large binocular telescope

The large binocular telescope has a unique approach to higher angular resolution. It operates two AO-assisted 8.4m telescopes on a single mount, which allows to realize wide-field fizeau interferometry at interferometric 23m resolution. The LBT is clearly a stepping stone into the future of extremely large telescopes, and our instrumentation program developed strategies for vibration control, and interferometric imageing in the context of the LINC-NIRVANA camera.
More on the project you can find: LBTO and LINC


W. M. Keck Observatory

The telescopes’ primary mirrors are 10-meters in diameter and are each composed of 36 hexagonal segments that work in concert as a single piece of reflective glass.
The Keck Interferometer was a ground-based component of NASA's Exoplanet Exploration Program. At 4,150 meters (13,600 feet) above the Pacific Ocean, atop the dormant volcano Mauna Kea on the "Big Island" of Hawaii, More on the project you can find: WMKO and here: NASA Keck Interferometer


ELT - the extremely large telescope

ESO is construction the world's first 39m optical telescope, planned to have scientific first light in 2027. The generation of ELTs will deliver space-like sensitivity with optical resolution of a long-baseline interferometer. This unique combination will allow to pear into the hearts of stellar clusters, and galaxies, to reveal the secrets. We intend to measured black hole masses directly at high redshifts.
My team is focussed on delivering warm optics, and calibration hardware for the MICADO instrument, which will be the first instruments to see the sky through an ELT.
My personal mission as instrument scientist of MICADO is to develop the astrometric observing mode. The unique combination of angular resolution and light collecting power will allow to perform photon-noise limited relative astrometry at the level of 20-50 µas over the MICADO field-of-view.
More on the project you can find: ELT project and MICADO.


Labs

MICADO

Link to the MPIA MICADO wiki

KOOL is an acronym for Königstuhl Observatory Opto-mechatronics Laboratory testbed. KOOL is a collaborative effort of the Max-Planck Institut for Astronomy ​MPIA, the Landessternwarte Königstuhl ​LSW, and the Institut for System Dynamics ​ISYS, who share the funding and support. Current formal lab responsible is Vianak Naranjo [​naranjo@mpia.de], in case you wonder about opto-mechanics and computers, you see in the lab, you can try with the KOOL project manager Moritz Straub [​moritz.straub@isys.uni-stuttgart.de]. Our latest addition to the team, and responsible for the photonics part is Philipp Hottinger [​phottinger@lsw.uni-heidelberg.de]. For any other questions, please contact the KOOL PI Dr. Jörg-Uwe Pott [​jpott@mpia.de].

KING

Link to the MPIA KING wiki

Located in the eastern dome of the Elsässer Lab, MPIA operates a 70 cm f/8 Cassegrain telescope ready to be used by students as well as staff for practice, scientific observations, testing of new hardware, or just: fun. KING is our ("Königstuhl Instrument for Night-sky Gazing"). It is currently equipped with a scientific grade 2kx2k back-illuminated, nitrogen-cooled SITe CCD -- identical to cameras used e.g. at ​Calar Alto Observatory. With a pixel size of 15umx15um it provides a field of view of 18.8x18.8 arcmin. A specially crafted manual filter slider allows unvignetted observations through a wide range of filters, including the standard series of UBVRI as well as an SDSS z' filter and a superb collection of high-performance narrow band interference filters for OII,OIII, H beta, H alpha, SII and SII-continuum (off-line passband). Unguided observations can be as long as 180s, giving you a limiting magnitude of ~19.5mag in the R-band.

KOOL

Link to the MPIA KOOL wiki

KOOL is an acronym for Königstuhl Observatory Opto-mechatronics Laboratory testbed. KOOL is a collaborative effort of the Max-Planck Institut for Astronomy ​MPIA, the Landessternwarte Königstuhl ​LSW, and the Institut for System Dynamics ​ISYS, who share the funding and support. Current formal lab responsible is Vianak Naranjo [​naranjo@mpia.de], in case you wonder about opto-mechanics and computers, you see in the lab, you can try with the KOOL project manager Moritz Straub [​moritz.straub@isys.uni-stuttgart.de]. Our latest addition to the team, and responsible for the photonics part is Philipp Hottinger [​phottinger@lsw.uni-heidelberg.de]. For any other questions, please contact the KOOL PI Dr. Jörg-Uwe Pott [​jpott@mpia.de].

Teaching

On a deliberate basis, I supervise undergraduate and graduate research projects, and develop the topic of astronomical instrumentation on the Heidelberg astronomy campus. In particular, developed and lead a research seminar, and organize an advanced lab course experiment for the local students. My teaching goals are centered on experimental astronomy, and present the chances and challenges of modern astronomical instrumentation as an interdisciplinary way of doing physical research at the limits of technology.