Prof. Agarwal secures future research on asteroids in Braunschweig!

Prof. Agarwal secures future research on asteroids in Braunschweig!

Prof. Dr. Jessica Agarwal will remain at the Technical University of Braunschweig long-term. Her Lichtenberg Professorship, which she received from the Volkswagen Foundation in 2020, will be extended by three years and will continue to be funded on a declining scale. This decision comes after a positive evaluation of your academic achievements and is linked to a lifelong professorship.

This extension will enable Prof. Agarwal to further deepen her research into the physical properties and evolution of asteroids and comets. Her work aims to investigate central processes in the formation of the solar system. This agreement opens up long-term perspectives both at TU Braunschweig and in Germany.

Research on active asteroids

In her previous research, Prof. Agarwal has particularly focused on active asteroids. These objects develop dust tails and are about a kilometer in size, orbiting the Sun between Mars and Jupiter. An example of their research is the active asteroid 288P, a double asteroid system that behaves like a comet. The central questions of their research concern the presence of water ice in these celestial bodies. Active studies have shown that the asteroid belt area, where water ice can stably exist, helps explain the evolution of the solar system.

In addition, students at TU Braunschweig analyzed image data from large astronomical telescopes to understand the behavior of these active asteroids. The parameters they examined allow far-reaching conclusions to be drawn about the dust emission process. A distinction is made between short-term dust emissions, such as those caused by impacts, and longer-lasting emissions, which are caused by sublimation of ice. This information is crucial for understanding the properties of asteroids in their non-active phases.

Outlook and future data

The extension of the professorship not only enables continued research on small bodies in the solar system, but also the integration of current developments into teaching. Prof Agarwal is preparing to analyze data from ESA's Comet Interceptor spacecraft, which is due to reach its destination in the early 2030s.

The Lichtenberg Professorship is a funding program of the Volkswagen Foundation and the Donors' Association for German Science that aims to offer outstanding scientists the opportunity to obtain a professorship at a German university. Founded in 2002, the program aims to support international young scientists in establishing unconventional and interdisciplinary research fields. While tenure-track professorships usually last between five and eight years, current professorships, such as Prof. Agarwal's, continued to be supported and extended.

Scientists supported in these programs not only receive substantial financial support, but also the opportunity to further develop their research in an innovative framework. This is an essential step towards promoting scientific excellence in Germany.

Further information is available on the websites of TU Braunschweig, TU Braunschweig IGEP and Wikipedia to find.