13 February 2025

Photo: Martin Fournier

Hailing from Mulhouse, France, Martin Fournier completed his master's in nuclear engineering from Grenoble University in 2022 and a master's in astrophysics from Paris Observatory in 2023. He studied the propagation of cosmic rays in the milky way using MHD simulations in Lyon. He is now pursuing his PhD at the Hamburg Observatory.

What is the topic of your research?

I am working in the groups of Prof. Marcus Brüggen and Prof. Stephan Rosswog. I do MHD simulations of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN) where I try and study the interactions between supermassive black holes and their surrounding gaseous environment. My simulations mostly care about how jets from AGN can trigger the formation of cold gas around massive elliptical galaxies. 

What fascinates you about your research focus?

In our universe, galaxies are so large, and their typical velocity is so comparatively small that a million years would be barely enough to notice any motion at all. However, simulations using supercomputers allow us to bypass this problem by "accelerating time" and to get a unique view of the evolution of our universe on the cosmic timescale. 

What do you like about the cluster Quantum Universe?

I like the idea behind QU Days where we can interact with other researchers working on various other topics. It certainly helps me be in contact with the other PhD students within the Quantum Universe Research School. I appreciate the dynamics of the QU Days, and I am looking forward to the next one. 

What do you like to do in your free-time?

I play the drums and I do a lot of photography. And of course, like most physicists here, I love to boulder.