Ms. Nathalie Nick

PhD Student

University of Oxford

Nathalie Nick, a PhD student and Berrow Lord Florey Scholar at the University of Oxford, is conducting groundbreaking research in Aerospace Engineering in the field of Hypersonics.

Her work focuses on experimentally investigating electron number densities in hypersonic re-entry flows using Europe's highest-speed wind tunnel, the T6 Stalker Tunnel. This research has direct applications in understanding the re-entry environments experienced by space capsules during planetary entries.

With intrusive measurements using Langmuir probes, and non-intrusive measurements using lasers, Nathalie studies the plasma properties in the hypersonic flow. With her project, for the first time, measurements of electron number densities are carried out in the University of Oxford's T6 Stalker tunnel. Her work represents a notable expansion of the T6 Stalker Tunnel's investigative capabilities.

A set of two distinct types of Langmuir probes has been designed and manufactured in-house, enabling their deployment to be flush mount to the tunnel wall and within a Pitot rake. With benchtop tests, Nathalie has calibrated the Langmuir probes and validated their robustness and reliability, ensuring their suitability for use in the T6 Stalker tunnel environment. She conducts experiments using the facility in aluminium shock tube mode (AST) at shock speeds ranging from 5.7 to 8 km/s by positioning a pair of Langmuir probes mounted in the Pitot rake positioned below the shock tube centerline at the shock tube exit in the tunnel's dump tank. Additionally, the freestream environment is concurrently characterized through Pitot pressure measurements, using two Pitot probes positioned below a corresponding Langmuir probe.

Nathalie’s research contributes to the development of advanced thermal protection systems and communication technologies for spacecraft. Her results are of great interest to governmental space agencies and industry. This work is crucial for ensuring the safety and reliability of future space missions and advancing our understanding of the complex physics behind hypersonic flight.