DiRAC 2.5 Operations 2017-2020
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Leicester
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 DiRAC-2.5 project builds on the success of the DiRAC HPC facility and will provide the resources needed
to support cutting edge research during 2017 in all areas of science supported by STFC.
In addition to the existing DiRAC-2 services, from April 2017 DiRAC-2.5 will provide:
1) A factor 2 increase in the computational power of the DiRAC supercomputer at the University of Durham, which is designed for simulations requiring large amounts of computer memory. The enhanced system will be used to:
(i) simulate the merger of pairs of black holes which generate gravitational waves such as those recently discovered by the LIGO consortium;
(ii) perform the most realistic simulations to date of the formation and evolution of galaxies in the Universe
(iii) carry out detailed simulations of the interior of the sun and of planetary interiors.
2) A new High Performance Computer at Cambridge whose particular architecture is well suited to the theoretical
problems that we want to tackle that utilise large amounts of data, either as input or
being generated at intermediate stages of our calculations. Two key challenges
that we will tackle are those of
(i) improving our understanding of the Milky Way through analysis of new data from the European
Space Agency's GAIA satellite and
(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.
3) An additional 3500 compute cores on the DiRAC Complexity supercomputer at Leicester which will make it possible to
carry out simulations of some of the most complex physical situation in the Universe. These include:
(i) the formation of stars in clusters - for the first time it will be possible to follow the formation of stars many times more massive than the sun;
(ii) the accretion of gas onto supermassive black holes, the most efficient means of extracting energy from matter and the engine
which drives galaxy formation and evolution.
4) A team of three research software engineers who will help DiRAC researchers to ensure their scientific codes to extract
the best possible performance from the hardware components of the DiRAC clusters. These highly skilled programmers will
increase the effective computational power of the DiRAC facility during 2017.
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 DiRAC-2.5 project builds on the success of the DiRAC HPC facility and will provide the resources needed
to support cutting edge research during 2017 in all areas of science supported by STFC.
In addition to the existing DiRAC-2 services, from April 2017 DiRAC-2.5 will provide:
1) A factor 2 increase in the computational power of the DiRAC supercomputer at the University of Durham, which is designed for simulations requiring large amounts of computer memory. The enhanced system will be used to:
(i) simulate the merger of pairs of black holes which generate gravitational waves such as those recently discovered by the LIGO consortium;
(ii) perform the most realistic simulations to date of the formation and evolution of galaxies in the Universe
(iii) carry out detailed simulations of the interior of the sun and of planetary interiors.
2) A new High Performance Computer at Cambridge whose particular architecture is well suited to the theoretical
problems that we want to tackle that utilise large amounts of data, either as input or
being generated at intermediate stages of our calculations. Two key challenges
that we will tackle are those of
(i) improving our understanding of the Milky Way through analysis of new data from the European
Space Agency's GAIA satellite and
(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.
3) An additional 3500 compute cores on the DiRAC Complexity supercomputer at Leicester which will make it possible to
carry out simulations of some of the most complex physical situation in the Universe. These include:
(i) the formation of stars in clusters - for the first time it will be possible to follow the formation of stars many times more massive than the sun;
(ii) the accretion of gas onto supermassive black holes, the most efficient means of extracting energy from matter and the engine
which drives galaxy formation and evolution.
4) A team of three research software engineers who will help DiRAC researchers to ensure their scientific codes to extract
the best possible performance from the hardware components of the DiRAC clusters. These highly skilled programmers will
increase the effective computational power of the DiRAC facility during 2017.
Planned Impact
The expected impact of the DiRAC 2.5 HPC facility is fully described in the attached pathways to impact document and includes:
1) Disseminating best practice in High Performance Computing software engineering throughout the theoretical Particle Physics, Astronomy and Nuclear physics communities in the UK as well as to industry partners.
2) Working on co-design projects with industry partners to improve future generations of hardware and software.
3) Development of new techniques in the area of High Performance Data Analytics which will benefit industry partners and researchers in other fields such as biomedicine, biology, engineering, economics and social science, and the natural environment who can use this new technology to improve research outcomes in their areas.
4) Share best practice on the design and operation of distributed HPC facilities with UK National e-Infrastructure partners.
5) Training of the next generation of research scientists of physical scientists to tackle problems effectively on state-of-the-art of High Performance Computing facilities. Such skills are much in demand from high-tech industry.
6) Engagement with the general public to promote interest in science, and to explain how our ability to solve complex problems using the latest computer technology leads to new scientific capabilities/insights. Engagement of this kind also naturally encourages the uptake of STEM subjects in schools.
1) Disseminating best practice in High Performance Computing software engineering throughout the theoretical Particle Physics, Astronomy and Nuclear physics communities in the UK as well as to industry partners.
2) Working on co-design projects with industry partners to improve future generations of hardware and software.
3) Development of new techniques in the area of High Performance Data Analytics which will benefit industry partners and researchers in other fields such as biomedicine, biology, engineering, economics and social science, and the natural environment who can use this new technology to improve research outcomes in their areas.
4) Share best practice on the design and operation of distributed HPC facilities with UK National e-Infrastructure partners.
5) Training of the next generation of research scientists of physical scientists to tackle problems effectively on state-of-the-art of High Performance Computing facilities. Such skills are much in demand from high-tech industry.
6) Engagement with the general public to promote interest in science, and to explain how our ability to solve complex problems using the latest computer technology leads to new scientific capabilities/insights. Engagement of this kind also naturally encourages the uptake of STEM subjects in schools.
Organisations
Publications
Dehnen W
(2023)
Measuring bar pattern speeds from single simulation snapshots
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Dehnen, Walter
(2022)
Capture of interstellar objects I: the capture cross-section
Delgado A
(2023)
The MillenniumTNG project: intrinsic alignments of galaxies and haloes
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Desmond H
(2022)
Catalogues of voids as antihaloes in the local Universe
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
Despali G
(2020)
The lensing properties of subhaloes in massive elliptical galaxies in sterile neutrino cosmologies
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
De Beer S
(2023)
Resolving the physics of quasar Ly a nebulae (RePhyNe): I. Constraining quasar host halo masses through circumgalactic medium kinematics
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
De Vries N
(2023)
Tidal dissipation due to the elliptical instability and turbulent viscosity in convection zones in rotating giant planets and stars
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Di Carlo M
(2022)
Electromagnetic finite-size effects beyond the point-like approximation
in EPJ Web of Conferences
Dickey C
(2021)
IQ Collaboratory. II. The Quiescent Fraction of Isolated, Low-mass Galaxies across Simulations and Observations
in The Astrophysical Journal
Digby R
(2019)
The star formation histories of dwarf galaxies in Local Group cosmological simulations
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Dillamore A
(2022)
Merger-induced galaxy transformations in the artemis simulations
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Dobbs C
(2022)
The formation of massive stellar clusters in converging galactic flows with photoionization
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Dobbs C
(2022)
The formation of clusters and OB associations in different density spiral arm environments
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Dobbs C
(2021)
The properties of clusters, and the orientation of magnetic fields relative to filaments, in magnetohydrodynamic simulations of colliding clouds
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Dobbs C
(2019)
Comparing the properties of GMCs in M33 from simulations and observations
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Donevski D
(2020)
In pursuit of giants I. The evolution of the dust-to-stellar mass ratio in distant dusty galaxies
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Dowdall R
(2019)
Neutral B -meson mixing from full lattice QCD at the physical point
in Physical Review D
Downing E
(2023)
The many reasons that the rotation curves of low-mass galaxies can fail as tracers of their matter distributions
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Drach V
(2021)
Scattering of Goldstone bosons and resonance production in a composite Higgs model on the lattice
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Drach V
(2020)
Composite electroweak sectors on the lattice
Drach V
(2022)
Singlet channel scattering in a composite Higgs model on the lattice
in The European Physical Journal C
Drewes N
(2021)
On the Dynamics of Low-viscosity Warped Disks around Black Holes
in The Astrophysical Journal
Drewes N
(2021)
On the dynamics of low-viscosity warped discs around black holes
Drummond B
(2020)
Implications of three-dimensional chemical transport in hot Jupiter atmospheres: Results from a consistently coupled chemistry-radiation-hydrodynamics model
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Drummond B
(2018)
The 3D Thermal, Dynamical, and Chemical Structure of the Atmosphere of HD 189733b: Implications of Wind-driven Chemistry for the Emission Phase Curve
in The Astrophysical Journal
Du M
(2019)
The Formation of Compact Elliptical Galaxies in the Vicinity of a Massive Galaxy: The Role of Ram-pressure Confinement
in The Astrophysical Journal
Duguid C
(2020)
Convective turbulent viscosity acting on equilibrium tidal flows: new frequency scaling of the effective viscosity
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Duguid C
(2019)
Tidal flows with convection: frequency-dependence of the effective viscosity and evidence for anti-dissipation
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Dutta R
(2020)
MUSE Analysis of Gas around Galaxies (MAGG) - II: metal-enriched halo gas around z ~ 1 galaxies
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Dutta R
(2021)
Metal-enriched halo gas across galaxy overdensities over the last 10 billion years
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Du Buisson L
(2020)
Cosmic rates of black hole mergers and pair-instability supernovae from chemically homogeneous binary evolution
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Eager-Nash J
(2020)
Implications of different stellar spectra for the climate of tidally locked Earth-like exoplanets
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Edelmann P
(2019)
Three-dimensional Simulations of Massive Stars. I. Wave Generation and Propagation
in The Astrophysical Journal
Edwards B
(2020)
ARES I: WASP-76 b, A Tale of Two HST Spectra*
in The Astronomical Journal
Edwards B
(2020)
Hubble WFC3 Spectroscopy of the Habitable-zone Super-Earth LHS 1140 b
in The Astronomical Journal
Eilers A
(2019)
Anomaly in the Opacity of the Post-reionization Intergalactic Medium in the Ly a and Ly ß Forest
in The Astrophysical Journal
Eke V
(2020)
Understanding the large inferred Einstein radii of observed low-mass galaxy clusters
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Elbers W
(2021)
An optimal non-linear method for simulating relic neutrinos
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Elbers W
(2022)
Higher order initial conditions with massive neutrinos
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Elliott E
(2021)
Efficient exploration and calibration of a semi-analytical model of galaxy formation with deep learning
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Elsender D
(2021)
The statistical properties of protostellar discs and their dependence on metallicity
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Elson E
(2023)
Measurements of the angular momentum-mass relations in the Simba simulation
in New Astronomy
Description | Many new discoveries about the formation and evolution of galaxies, star formation and planet formation have been made possible by this award. |
Exploitation Route | Many international collaborative projects are supported by the HPC resources provided by DiRAC. |
Sectors | Aerospace, Defence and Marine,Creative Economy,Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software),Education,Healthcare,Transport |
URL | http://www.dirac.ac.uk |