Yellow and turquoise colour fields merge on Ergin-Hagen Leonard's monitor and small blue pixels disappear into nothingness. The "Jugend forscht" winner in the mathematics/computer science category from the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate 2023 is concentrating in front of the screen. The young scientist will be spending two weeks at the Institute of Propulsion Technology at the German Aerospace Centre (DLR) before starting his physics degree at the Johannes Gutenberg University in Mainz.
At the Institute of Propulsion Technology, we make highly efficient engines even more powerful and research revolutionary propulsion solutions for international, climate-neutral aviation. The design of new technologies begins with their simulation. This means that before a new technology is manufactured and tested experimentally, its behaviour is calculated and simulated on the computer. In this way, the scientists know at an early stage of development whether, for example, the design of a component needs to be adapted. Ergin-Hagen helps her colleagues in the numerical methods department to visualise the data from turbulent air flows and thus validate the numerical tools developed in-house for use. Aspects such as vortices or pressure shocks can be extracted and animated from large data sets containing, for example, density and velocity, in order to better understand the complex flow physics.
We would like to thank Ergin-Hagen for his support and wish him every success in his studies and future career! There is always an internship available for him during the holidays.
