General information
Organisation
The French Alternative Energies and Atomic Energy Commission (CEA) is a key player in research, development and innovation in four main areas :
• defence and security,
• nuclear energy (fission and fusion),
• technological research for industry,
• fundamental research in the physical sciences and life sciences.
Drawing on its widely acknowledged expertise, and thanks to its 16000 technicians, engineers, researchers and staff, the CEA actively participates in collaborative projects with a large number of academic and industrial partners.
The CEA is established in ten centers spread throughout France
Reference
SL-DRF-26-0358
Direction
DRF
Thesis topic details
Category
Corpuscular physics and outer space
Thesis topics
Unveiling the Universal Coupling Between Accretion and Ejection: From Microquasars to Extragalactic Transients
Contract
Thèse
Job description
This PhD project investigates the universal coupling between accretion and ejection, the fundamental processes through which black holes and neutron stars grow and release energy. Using microquasars as nearby laboratories, the project will study how variations in accretion flows produce relativistic jets, and how these mechanisms scale up to supermassive black holes in tidal disruption events (TDEs).
Accretion–ejection coupling drives energy feedback that shapes galaxy formation and evolution, yet its physical origin remains poorly understood. The candidate will combine multi-wavelength observations—from SVOM (X-ray/optical) and new radio facilities (MeerKAT, SKA precursors)—to perform time-resolved analyses linking accretion states to jet emission.
Recent missions such as Einstein Probe and the Vera Rubin Observatory (LSST) will greatly expand the sample of transients, including jetted TDEs, enabling new tests of jet-launching physics across mass and time scales.
Working within the CEA/IRFU team, a major SVOM partner, the student will participate in real-time transient detection and multi-wavelength follow-up, while also exploiting archival data to provide long-term context. This project will train the candidate in high-energy astrophysics, radio astronomy, and data-driven discovery, contributing to a unified understanding of accretion, jet formation, and cosmic feedback.
University / doctoral school
Science de la Terre et de l’Environnement et Physique de l’Univers Paris (STEPUP)
Autre
Thesis topic location
Site
Saclay
Requester
Position start date
01/09/2026
Person to be contacted by the applicant
CORBEL Stéphane
stephane.corbel@cea.fr
Université Paris Cité
DRF/IRFU/SAP/LEPCHE
CEA/Saclay
Service d’astrophysique
91191 Gif sur Yvette Cedex
01 69 08 45 62
Tutor / Responsible thesis director
CORBEL Stéphane
stephane.corbel@cea.fr
Université Paris Cité
DRF/IRFU/SAP/LEPCHE
CEA/Saclay
Service d’astrophysique
91191 Gif sur Yvette Cedex
01 69 08 45 62
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