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
Lynas-Gray A
(2024)
ExoMol line lists - LXII. Ro-vibrational energy levels and line strengths for the propadienediylidene (C3) in its ground electronic state
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Maccagni F
(2024)
MHONGOOSE discovery of a gas-rich low surface brightness galaxy in the Dorado group
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Macpherson H
(2024)
The Impact of Anisotropic Sky Sampling on the Hubble Constant in Numerical Relativity
in The Astrophysical Journal
MacTaggart D
(2021)
Direct evidence that twisted flux tube emergence creates solar active regions.
in Nature communications
Madar M
(2024)
Predictions for the abundance and clustering of H a emitting galaxies
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Mak M
(2024)
3D simulations of TRAPPIST-1e with varying CO2, CH4, and haze profiles
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Manzoni G
(2024)
The PAU Survey: a new constraint on galaxy formation models using the observed colour redshift relation
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Marsden J
(2025)
Symmetry restoration and vacuum decay from accretion around black holes
in Physical Review D
Martin G
(2024)
Stellar stripping efficiencies of satellites in numerical simulations: the effect of resolution, satellite properties, and numerical disruption
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Martin-Alvarez S
(2024)
Extragalactic Magnetism with SOFIA (SALSA Legacy Program). VII. A Tomographic View of Far-infrared and Radio Polarimetric Observations through MHD Simulations of Galaxies
in The Astrophysical Journal
Matteini L
(2024)
Alfvénic fluctuations in the expanding solar wind: Formation and radial evolution of spherical polarization
in Physics of Plasmas
Maunder T
(2024)
Synthetic light curves and spectra from a self-consistent 2D simulation of an ultra-strippped supernova
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Mayes R
(2024)
The contribution of supermassive black holes in stripped nuclei to the supermassive black hole population of UCDs and galaxy clusters
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Mercier W
(2024)
The COSMOS-Web ring: In-depth characterization of an Einstein ring lensing system at z ~ 2
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Merrow A
(2024)
Did the Gaia Enceladus/Sausage merger form the Milky Way's bar?
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Mickley J
(2025)
Center vortex evidence for a second finite-temperature QCD transition
in Physical Review D
Mills B
(2024)
Spectral Calculations of 3D Radiation Magnetohydrodynamic Simulations of Super-Eddington Accretion onto a Stellar-mass Black Hole
in The Astrophysical Journal
Morison A
(2024)
Effects of stratification on overshooting and waves atop the convective core of M? main-sequence stars
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Murtas G
(2024)
Kink Instability of Flux Ropes in Partially Ionized Plasmas
in The Astrophysical Journal
Nasir F
(2024)
Deep learning the intergalactic medium using Lyman-alpha forest at 4 = z = 5
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Nicholson B
(2024)
HD152843 b & c: the masses and orbital periods of a sub-Neptune and a superpuff Neptune
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Nightingale J
(2024)
Scanning for dark matter subhaloes in Hubble Space Telescope imaging of 54 strong lenses
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Nobels F
(2024)
Tests of subgrid models for star formation using simulations of isolated disc galaxies
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Nowak M
(2024)
The orbit of HD 142527 B is too compact to explain many of the disc features
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Oestreicher A
(2024)
Backreaction in Numerical Relativity: Averaging on Newtonian gauge-like hypersurfaces in Einstein Toolkit cosmological simulations
in The Open Journal of Astrophysics
Oman K
(2024)
A warm dark matter cosmogony may yield more low-mass galaxy detections in 21-cm surveys than a cold dark matter one
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Owens A
(2024)
ExoMol line lists - LVIII. High-temperature molecular line list of carbonyl sulphide (OCS)
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Pakmor R
(2024)
Magnetic field amplification in cosmological zoom simulations from dwarf galaxies to galaxy groups
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Pallero D
(2024)
Galaxy evolution in modified gravity simulations: using galaxy properties to constrain our gravitational model
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Penzlin A
(2024)
Viscous circumbinary protoplanetary discs - I. Structure of the inner cavity
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Petrovic H
(2024)
Material transport in protoplanetary discs with massive embedded planets
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Pfeffer J
(2024)
Origin of the correlation between stellar kinematics and globular cluster system richness in ultradiffuse galaxies
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Pizzati E
(2024)
Revisiting the extreme clustering of z ˜ 4 quasars with large volume cosmological simulations
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Pizzati E
(2024)
A unified model for the clustering of quasars and galaxies at z ˜ 6
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Pollin J
(2024)
On the fate of the secondary white dwarf in double-degenerate double-detonation Type Ia supernovae - II. 3D synthetic observables
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Prathaban M
(2024)
Costless correction of chain based nested sampling parameter estimation in gravitational wave data and beyond
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Prole L
(2024)
Population III star formation: multiple gas phases prevent the use of an equation of state at high densities
in The Open Journal of Astrophysics
Prole L
(2024)
Heavy black hole seed formation in high- z atomic cooling halos
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Qu F
(2024)
The Atacama Cosmology Telescope: A Measurement of the DR6 CMB Lensing Power Spectrum and Its Implications for Structure Growth
in The Astrophysical Journal
Raste J
(2024)
The 21-cm bispectrum from neutral hydrogen islands at z < 6
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Ratnasingam R
(2024)
On the Geometry of the Near-core Magnetic Field in Massive Stars
in The Astrophysical Journal Letters
Regos E
(2024)
Percolation Statistics in the MillenniumTNG Simulations
in The Astrophysical Journal
Rey M
(2024)
Boosting galactic outflows with enhanced resolution
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Rizzuti F
(2024)
Stellar Evolution and Convection in 3D Hydrodynamic Simulations of a Complete Burning Phase
in Galaxies
Rizzuti F
(2024)
Shell mergers in the late stages of massive star evolution: new insight from 3D hydrodynamic simulations
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Robinson A
(2025)
The effect of radiation pressure on the dispersal of photoevaporating discs
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
| 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 |