[GTP] Fwd: Two post doctoral positions in Statistical Physics and Geophysical Fluid Dynamics (Theory and Experiments)

[pouquet at ucar.edu]

FYI (the food in Lyon is superb ...)


----- Forwarded message from Freddy.Bouchet at inln.cnrs.fr -----
     Date: Thu, 12 Nov 2009 18:15:47 -0700
     From: Freddy Bouchet <Freddy.Bouchet at inln.cnrs.fr>
Reply-To: Freddy.Bouchet at inln.cnrs.fr
  Subject: Two post doctoral positions in Statistical Physics and  
Geophysical Fluid Dynamics (Theory and Experiments)
       To: Freddy Bouchet <Freddy.Bouchet at inln.cnrs.fr>


Two postdoctoral positions will open in order to study fundamental
problems and applications of equilibrium and out of equilibrium
statistical mechanics related to geophysical fluid dynamics.
Could you please inform the possible interested people.

WHERE :

ENS-Lyon (France)                        Theoretical/mathematical or
numerical work.       With Freddy Bouchet  (Collaboration with Eric
Simonnet, Joel Sommeria and Xavier Carton)
Plaque Coriolis - LEGI (France)
Experiments                                                       With
Joel Sommeria and Freddy Bouchet

WHEN : Starting anytime in 2010

Project ANR STATOCEAN.

More details on the website :

http://perso.ens-lyon.fr/freddy.bouchet/STATOCEAN/Statocean.html

Experiments :
INVESTIGATION OF BISTABLE GEOPHYSICAL FLOWS IN
ROTATING TANK EXPERIMENTS

Description: The organization of turbulent geophysical 
flows into
multiple equilibria is a striking dynamical
property, relevant for climatic evolution at decennial scale.
Bistability is observed in the Kuroshio
oceanic current, as well as in the atmospheric circulation. A post-doc
position will be hired to develop
experiments aimed at reproducing such bistability phenomena in a
rotating tank experiment. The efect
of topography, density strati
cation, and boundaries, will be
investigated. The candidate will also use
existing numerical codes (few layers Quasi-Geostrophic) in order to
perform numerical simulations of the
dynamics. Fundamental questions on predictability of geophysical 
flows
will be addressed in this system.
The experiments will be designed in relation with statistical mechanics
predictions and numerical simulations.
This work will be performed in the frame of the project STATOCEAN
involving the Ecole Normale
Superieure in Lyon (ENS-Lyon, F. Bouchet), the Laboratoire de la
Physique des Oceans (LPO-Brest,
X. Carton), the Institut Non Linéaire de Nice (INLN, E. Simonnet).
Collaborations will be developed
with another post-doc working on the statistical mechanics aspects of
the project at ENS-Lyon. This
multi-disciplinary scienti
fic environment will open opportunities of
future research in fi
elds ranging from
oceanography to physics and applied mathematics.

Theory/ Numerical Simulations :
OUT OF EQUILIBRIUM STATISTICAL MECHANICS OF GEOPHYS-
ICAL FLOWS WITH APPLICATIONS TO SIMPLE MODELS OF THE
KUROSHIO CURRENT BISTABILITY

Description: The self organization of the large scales is a common
feature of all geophysical 
flows. Up to a
certain extent, this can be understood using equilibrium statistical
mechanics. There is a big impulse nowadays to
develop out of equilibrium theories related to the previously existing
equilibrium theories. This would be especially
relevant to bistability situations in geophysics, for example the
Kuroshio current bistability in the Paci
c Ocean,
but also to experimentally observed bistability.
A post-doc position will be hired during two years to work theoretically
and use numerical simulations in order
to develop the out of equilibrium statistical mechanics of geophysical

flows, in the context of ocean dynamics. The
candidate will use existing numerical codes (few layers Quasi-
Geostrophic or primitive equation dynamics) in order
to perform direct numerical simulations of basin scale dynamics, for
instance of the Kuroshio current. These models
are the simplest ones that describe the bistability of the Kuroshio
current. They will be designed for speci
c ocean
situations in collaboration with the Laboratoire de la Physique des
Océans (LPO-Brest).
He/she will develop new algorithms to compute modern out of equilibrium
statistical mechanics tools, like
for instance the linear response operator or large deviation rate
functions in these simple ocean models. These
algorithms will be used to discuss the dynamics and the variability of
several ocean problems, in relation with
groups working in ocean dynamics (LPO-Brest) and to discuss the
experiment related to this project, performed in
the Laboratoire des Ecoulements Géophysiques (LEGI-Plaque
Coriolis-Grenoble) .
The requested skills are a good knowledge and experience in 
fluid
dynamics numerical computation or in ocean
dynamics. A good training in statistical physics and/or in ocean
dynamics and/or in mathematics would also be
appreciated, even if not necessary.

http://perso.ens-lyon.fr/freddy.bouchet/

NR

-- 
Freddy Bouchet
T-CNLS, MS B258
Los Alamos National Laboratory
PO Box 1663
Los Alamos, NM 87545
United States

E mail:Freddy.Bouchet at inln.cnrs.fr
Phone : (+1) 505 606 22 84



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