My name is Hernan Domingo, and I am a Master's student at Ghent University. Thanks to the support provided by The FuseNet Association, I had the opportunity to complete a six-month internship at the Barcelona Supercomputing Center (BSC), home to the state-of-the-art supercomputers MareNostrum 4 and the pre-exascale MareNostrum 5. MareNostrum 5 has been ranked as the 3rd most powerful supercomputer in the EU and 8th globally [1]. MareNostrum 4 was widely known for being housed inside an old chapel, creating a striking contrast between the old and the new, between science and heritage. Now, MareNostrum 4 has been disassembled to make way for an even more intriguing paradigm: quantum computers.

My work at BSC was conducted as part of my Master's thesis, in which I developed a code to simulate microwave propagation within a 2D cross-section of a tokamak reactor, with a cold plasma core. This project serves as a first step toward creating a full-wave code capable of simulating ICRH and ECRH in a three-dimensionalnuclear fusion reactor in operating conditions. The code will account for many physical phenomena, such as wave resonances, particle-wave interactions and plasma heating, among others.

My time at BSC has been both valuable and incredibly enjoyable. The members of the Fusion Group have been supportive, attentive, and kind, fostering a motivating and comfortable work atmosphere. During my internship, I gained extensive knowledge about plasma physics, particularly the interaction between plasma and electromagnetic waves, as well as numerical simulations and high-performance computing. Additionally, the city of Barcelona provided a wonderful backdrop, allowing me to enjoy its social, gastronomical, and scenic aspects during the delightful Spanish spring and summer seasons.