DiRAC 2.5y - Networks and Data Management
Lead Research Organisation:
UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON
Department Name: Physics and Astronomy
Abstract
Physicists across the astronomy, nuclear and particle physics communities are focussed
on understanding how the Universe works at a very fundamental level. The distance scales
with which they work vary by 50 orders of magnitude from the smallest distances probed
by experiments at the Large Hadron Collider, deep within the atomic
nucleus, to the largest scale galaxy clusters discovered out in space. The Science challenges,
however, are linked through questions such as: How did the Universe begin and how is it evolving?
and What are the fundamental constituents and fabric of the Universe and how do they interact?
Progress requires new astronomical observations and experimental data but also
new theoretical insights. Theoretical understanding comes increasingly from large-scale
computations that allow us to confront the consequences of our theories very accurately
with the data or allow us to interrogate the data in detail to extract information that has
impact on our theories. These computations test the fastest computers that we have and
push the boundaries of technology in this sector. They also provide an excellent
environment for training students in state-of-the-art techniques for code optimisation and
data mining and visualisation.
The DiRAC2 HPC facility has been operating since 2012, providing computing resources for theoretical research
in all areas of particle physics, astronomy, cosmology and nuclear physics supported by STFC. It is a highly productive facility, generating 200-250 papers annually in international, peer-reviewed journals. However, the DiRAC facility risks becoming uncompetitive as it has remained static in terms of overall capability since 2012. The DiRAC-2.5x investment in 2017/18 mitigated the risk of hardware failures, by replacing our oldest hardware components. However, as the factor 5 oversubscription of the most recent RAC call demonstrated, the science programme in 2019/20 and beyond requires a significant uplift in DiRAC's compute capability. The main purpose of the requested funding for the DiRAC2.5y project is to provide a factor 2 increase in computing across all DiRAC services to enable the facility to remain competitive during 2019/20 in anticipation of future funding for DiRAC-3.
DiRAC2.5y builds on the success of the DiRAC HPC facility and will provide the resources needed to support cutting-edge research during 2019 in all areas of science supported by STFC. While the funding is required to remain competitive, the science programme will continue to be world-leading. Examples of the projects which will benefit from this investment include:
(i) lattice quantum chromodynamics (QCD) calculations of the properties of fundamental particles from first principles;
(ii) improving the potential of experiments at CERN's Large Hadron Collider for discovery of new physics by increasing the accuracy of theoretical predictions for rare processes involving the fundamental constituents of matter known as quarks;
(iii) simulations of the merger of pairs of black holes amnwhich generate gravitational waves such as those recently discovered by the LIGO consortium;
(iv) the most realistic simulations to date of the formation and evolution of galaxies in the Universe;
(v) the accretion of gas onto supermassive black holes, the most efficient means of extracting energy from matter and the engine which drives galaxy evolution;
(vi) new models of our own Milky Way galaxy calibrated using new data from the European Space Agency's GAIA satellite;
(vii) detailed simulations of the interior of the sun and of planetary interiors;
(viii) the formation of stars in clusters - for the first time it will be possible to follow the formation of massive stars.
on understanding how the Universe works at a very fundamental level. The distance scales
with which they work vary by 50 orders of magnitude from the smallest distances probed
by experiments at the Large Hadron Collider, deep within the atomic
nucleus, to the largest scale galaxy clusters discovered out in space. The Science challenges,
however, are linked through questions such as: How did the Universe begin and how is it evolving?
and What are the fundamental constituents and fabric of the Universe and how do they interact?
Progress requires new astronomical observations and experimental data but also
new theoretical insights. Theoretical understanding comes increasingly from large-scale
computations that allow us to confront the consequences of our theories very accurately
with the data or allow us to interrogate the data in detail to extract information that has
impact on our theories. These computations test the fastest computers that we have and
push the boundaries of technology in this sector. They also provide an excellent
environment for training students in state-of-the-art techniques for code optimisation and
data mining and visualisation.
The DiRAC2 HPC facility has been operating since 2012, providing computing resources for theoretical research
in all areas of particle physics, astronomy, cosmology and nuclear physics supported by STFC. It is a highly productive facility, generating 200-250 papers annually in international, peer-reviewed journals. However, the DiRAC facility risks becoming uncompetitive as it has remained static in terms of overall capability since 2012. The DiRAC-2.5x investment in 2017/18 mitigated the risk of hardware failures, by replacing our oldest hardware components. However, as the factor 5 oversubscription of the most recent RAC call demonstrated, the science programme in 2019/20 and beyond requires a significant uplift in DiRAC's compute capability. The main purpose of the requested funding for the DiRAC2.5y project is to provide a factor 2 increase in computing across all DiRAC services to enable the facility to remain competitive during 2019/20 in anticipation of future funding for DiRAC-3.
DiRAC2.5y builds on the success of the DiRAC HPC facility and will provide the resources needed to support cutting-edge research during 2019 in all areas of science supported by STFC. While the funding is required to remain competitive, the science programme will continue to be world-leading. Examples of the projects which will benefit from this investment include:
(i) lattice quantum chromodynamics (QCD) calculations of the properties of fundamental particles from first principles;
(ii) improving the potential of experiments at CERN's Large Hadron Collider for discovery of new physics by increasing the accuracy of theoretical predictions for rare processes involving the fundamental constituents of matter known as quarks;
(iii) simulations of the merger of pairs of black holes amnwhich generate gravitational waves such as those recently discovered by the LIGO consortium;
(iv) the most realistic simulations to date of the formation and evolution of galaxies in the Universe;
(v) the accretion of gas onto supermassive black holes, the most efficient means of extracting energy from matter and the engine which drives galaxy evolution;
(vi) new models of our own Milky Way galaxy calibrated using new data from the European Space Agency's GAIA satellite;
(vii) detailed simulations of the interior of the sun and of planetary interiors;
(viii) the formation of stars in clusters - for the first time it will be possible to follow the formation of massive stars.
Planned Impact
The anticipated impact of the DiRAC2.5y HPC facility aligns closely with the recently published UK Industrial Strategy. As such, many of our key impacts will be driven by our engagements with industry. Each service provider for DiRAC2.5y has a local industrial strategy to deliver increased levels of industrial returns over the next three years.
The "Pathways to impact" document which is attached to this proposal describes the overall industrial strategy for the DiRAC facility, including our strategic goals and key performance indicators.
The "Pathways to impact" document which is attached to this proposal describes the overall industrial strategy for the DiRAC facility, including our strategic goals and key performance indicators.
Organisations
Publications
Štofanová L
(2024)
Prospects for detecting the circum- and intergalactic medium in X-ray absorption using the extended intracluster medium as a backlight
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Ziampras A
(2025)
Dusty substructures induced by planets in ALMA discs: how dust growth and dynamics changes the picture
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Ziampras A
(2024)
Migration of low-mass planets in inviscid discs: the effect of radiation transport on the dynamical corotation torque
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Ziampras A
(2024)
Buoyancy torques prevent low-mass planets from stalling in low-turbulence radiative discs
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Zhu Y
(2024)
Damping wing-like features in the stacked Ly a forest: Potential neutral hydrogen islands at z < 6
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
Zheng H
(2024)
The influence of baryons on low-mass haloes
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Zheng H
(2024)
The abundance of dark matter haloes down to Earth mass
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Zhang Z
(2024)
Disentangling the anisotropic radio sky: Fisher forecasts for 21 cm arrays
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Zhang M
(2025)
The Three Hundred project: The relationship between the shock and splashback radii of simulated galaxy clusters
in Publications of the Astronomical Society of Australia
Zerbo M
(2024)
Effective yields as tracers of feedback effects on metallicity scaling relations in the EAGLE cosmological simulations
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Zamyatina M
(2024)
Quenching-driven equatorial depletion and limb asymmetries in hot Jupiter atmospheres: WASP-96b example
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Yurchenko S
(2024)
ExoMol line lists - LX. Molecular line list for the ammonia isotopologue 15NH3
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Yurchenko S
(2024)
ExoMol line lists - LVII. High accuracy ro-vibrational line list for methane (CH4)
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Yurchenko S
(2024)
ExoMol line lists-LIX. High-temperature line list for N2O
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Yurchenko S
(2024)
ExoMol line lists - LIII: empirical rovibronic spectra of yttrium oxide
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Yuan Y
(2024)
Lya emission as a sensitive probe of feedback-regulated LyC escape from dwarf galaxies
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Young A
(2024)
Introducing two improved methods for approximating radiative cooling in hydrodynamical simulations of accretion discs
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Yeo J
(2024)
DK/Dp scattering and an exotic virtual bound state at the SU(3) flavour symmetric point from lattice QCD
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Yang T
(2024)
Feedback-driven anisotropy in the circumgalactic medium for quenching galaxies in the simba simulations
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Yang H
(2024)
apostle-auriga : effects of stellar feedback subgrid models on the evolution of angular momentum in disc galaxies
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Xiao M
(2024)
Accelerated formation of ultra-massive galaxies in the first billion years
in Nature
Wyper P
(2024)
A Model for Flux Rope Formation and Disconnection in Pseudostreamer Coronal Mass Ejections
in The Astrophysical Journal
Worthy J
(2024)
Evaluation of the bilinear condensate of the planar Thirring model in the strongly coupled region
in International Journal of Modern Physics C
Wilson DJ
(2024)
Scalar and Tensor Charmonium Resonances in Coupled-Channel Scattering from Lattice QCD.
in Physical review letters
Wilson D
(2024)
Charmonium ? c 0 and ? c 2 resonances in coupled-channel scattering from lattice QCD
in Physical Review D
Wilkins S
(2024)
First Light and Reionization Epoch Simulations ( flares ) - XIV. The Balmer/4000 Å breaks of distant galaxies
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Whyte T
(2025)
Near-threshold states in coupled D D * - D * D * scattering from lattice QCD
in Physical Review D
Welsh L
(2024)
A survey of extremely metal-poor gas at cosmic noon Evidence of elevated [O/Fe]
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Vorabbi M
(2024)
Microscopic optical potentials for medium-mass isotopes derived at the first order of Watson multiple-scattering theory
in Physical Review C
Vijayan A
(2024)
First Light And Reionisation Epoch Simulations (FLARES) - XII: The consequences of star-dust geometry on galaxies in the EoR
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Varghese A
(2024)
Effect of Rotation on Wave Mixing in Intermediate-mass Stars
in The Astrophysical Journal
Upadhye A
(2024)
Non-linear CMB lensing with neutrinos and baryons: FLAMINGO simulations versus fast approximations
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Turpin G
(2024)
Orbital evolution of close binary systems: comparing viscous and wind-driven circumbinary disc models
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Tsang Y
(2024)
Scaling of the geomagnetic secular variation timescale
in Geophysical Journal International
Trusov S
(2024)
The two-point correlation function covariance with fewer mocks
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Tripathi B
(2024)
Predicting the Slowing of Stellar Differential Rotation by Instability-driven Turbulence
in The Astrophysical Journal
Towler I
(2024)
Inferring the dark matter splashback radius from cluster gas and observable profiles in the FLAMINGO simulations
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Thompson O
(2024)
Predictions for CO emission and the CO-to-H2 conversion factor in galaxy simulations with non-equilibrium chemistry
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Thompson J
(2024)
Phenomenological gravitational-wave model for precessing black-hole binaries with higher multipoles and asymmetries
in Physical Review D
Theuns T
(2024)
A halo model for cosmological Lyman-limit systems
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Teed R
(2023)
Solenoidal force balances in numerical dynamos
in Journal of Fluid Mechanics
Talbot R
(2024)
Simulations of spin-driven AGN jets in gas-rich galaxy mergers
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Tahseen T
(2024)
Enhancing 3D planetary atmosphere simulations with a surrogate radiative transfer model
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Stiskalek R
(2024)
Evaluating the variance of individual halo properties in constrained cosmological simulations
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Sorini D
(2024)
The impact of feedback on the evolution of gas density profiles from galaxies to clusters: a universal fitting formula from the Simba suite of simulations
in The Open Journal of Astrophysics
Somogyi W
(2024)
An ab initio spectroscopic model of the molecular oxygen atmospheric and infrared bands.
in Physical chemistry chemical physics : PCCP
Snow B
(2024)
Kelvin-Helmholtz-induced mixing in multi-fluid partially ionized plasmas
in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences
Sirks E
(2024)
Hydrodynamical simulations of merging galaxy clusters: giant dark matter particle colliders, powered by gravity
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Sifón C
(2024)
The history and mass content of cluster galaxies in the EAGLE simulation
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
| Title | Collaboration with Atempo |
| Description | Tape to Tape data transfter between DiRAC sites. |
| Type Of Technology | Software |
| Year Produced | 2019 |
| Open Source License? | Yes |
| Impact | Proof of COncept that data could be read from Tape stores remotely via a remote file system |
| Title | Fast Network Links for Durham and Cambridge Univeristies |
| Description | The Universeities and Cambridge are now linked by a highly performant Network |
| Type Of Technology | Physical Model/Kit |
| Year Produced | 2019 |
| Impact | Both HEIs are able to ingest data at a faster rate |
| Description | Member of UKRI E-Infrastructure Expert Panel 2017-2019 |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | Created 7 white papers for UKRI which detailed a Roadmap for future e-Infrastructure funding in the UK |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017,2018,2019 |