DiRAC2.5 Operations: The DiRAC Project Office 2017-2020
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 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.
Publications
Falle S
(2020)
Thermal instability revisited
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Fancher J
(2023)
On the relative importance of shocks and self-gravity in modifying tidal disruption event debris streams
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Fattahi A
(2019)
The distinct stellar metallicity populations of simulated Local Group dwarfs
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Fattahi A
(2020)
A tale of two populations: surviving and destroyed dwarf galaxies and the build-up of the Milky Way's stellar halo
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Fenton A
(2024)
The 3D structure of disc-instability protoplanets
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Ferlito F
(2023)
The MillenniumTNG Project: the impact of baryons and massive neutrinos on high-resolution weak gravitational lensing convergence maps
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Figueras P
(2023)
Endpoint of the Gregory-Laflamme instability of black strings revisited
in Physical Review D
Figueras P
(2020)
Gravitational collapse in cubic Horndeski theories
in Classical and Quantum Gravity
Figueras P
(2022)
Black hole binaries in cubic Horndeski theories
in Physical Review D
Flynn J
(2023)
Exclusive semileptonic B s ? K l ? decays on the lattice
in Physical Review D
Font A
(2022)
Quenching of satellite galaxies of Milky Way analogues: reconciling theory and observations
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Font A
(2020)
The artemis simulations: stellar haloes of Milky Way-mass galaxies
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Forouhar Moreno V
(2022)
Galactic satellite systems in CDM, WDM and SIDM
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Forouhar Moreno V
(2022)
Baryon-driven decontraction in Milky Way-mass haloes
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Fossati M
(2019)
The MUSE Ultra Deep Field (MUDF). II. Survey design and the gaseous properties of galaxy groups at 0.5 < z < 1.5
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Franci L
(2022)
Anisotropic Electron Heating in Turbulence-driven Magnetic Reconnection in the Near-Sun Solar Wind
in The Astrophysical Journal
Franci L
(2020)
Modeling MMS Observations at the Earth's Magnetopause with Hybrid Simulations of Alfvénic Turbulence
in The Astrophysical Journal
Frenk C
(2020)
The missing dwarf galaxies of the Local Group
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Frenk C
(2020)
The little things matter: relating the abundance of ultrafaint satellites to the hosts' assembly history
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Fumagalli M
(2020)
Detecting neutral hydrogen at z ? 3 in large spectroscopic surveys of quasars
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Gaikwad P
(2020)
Probing the thermal state of the intergalactic medium at z > 5 with the transmission spikes in high-resolution Ly a forest spectra
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Gaikwad P
(2023)
Measuring the photoionization rate, neutral fraction, and mean free path of H i ionizing photons at 4.9 = z = 6.0 from a large sample of XShooter and ESI spectra
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Gaikwad P
(2021)
A consistent and robust measurement of the thermal state of the IGM at 2 = z = 4 from a large sample of Ly a forest spectra: evidence for late and rapid He ii reionization
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Gargiulo I
(2019)
The prevalence of pseudo-bulges in the Auriga simulations
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Garratt-Smithson L
(2019)
Galactic chimney sweeping: the effect of 'gradual' stellar feedback mechanisms on the evolution of dwarf galaxies
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Garron N
(2023)
Nonperturbative renormalization with interpolating momentum schemes
in Physical Review D
Garver B
(2023)
Exploring the Evolution of Massive Clumps in Simulations That Reproduce the Observed Milky Way a-element Abundance Bimodality
in The Astrophysical Journal
Garzilli A
(2019)
The Lyman-a forest as a diagnostic of the nature of the dark matter
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Garzilli A
(2020)
Measuring the temperature and profiles of Ly a absorbers
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Gavardi A
(2023)
NNLO+PS W+W- production using jet veto resummation at NNLL'
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Genina A
(2022)
Can tides explain the low dark matter density in Fornax?
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Genina A
(2020)
To ß or not to ß: can higher order Jeans analysis break the mass-anisotropy degeneracy in simulated dwarfs?
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Genina A
(2023)
On the edge: the relation between stellar and dark matter haloes of Milky Way-mass galaxies
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Gerosa D
(2022)
The irreducible mass and the horizon area of LIGO's black holes
in Classical and Quantum Gravity
Ghosh S
(2024)
First frequency-domain phenomenological model of the multipole asymmetry in gravitational-wave signals from binary-black-hole coalescence
in Physical Review D
Ghosh S
(2022)
Age dissection of the vertical breathing motions in Gaia DR2: evidence for spiral driving
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Givans J
(2022)
Non-linearities in the Lyman-a forest and in its cross-correlation with dark matter halos
in Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics
Glesaaen J
(2019)
Hadronic spectrum calculations in the quark-gluon plasma
Glesaaen J.
(2018)
Hadronic spectrum calculations in the quark-gluon plasma
in Proceedings of Science
Glowacki M
(2020)
The baryonic Tully-Fisher relation in the simba simulation
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Glowacki M
(2022)
ASymba: H i global profile asymmetries in the simba simulation
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Goater A
(2024)
EDGE: The direct link between mass growth history and the extended stellar haloes of the faintest dwarf galaxies
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Golightly E
(2019)
Tidal Disruption Events: The Role of Stellar Spin
in The Astrophysical Journal
Golightly E
(2019)
On the Diversity of Fallback Rates from Tidal Disruption Events with Accurate Stellar Structure
in The Astrophysical Journal
Gonzalez-Perez V
(2020)
Do model emission line galaxies live in filaments at z ~ 1?
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Gorman M
(2019)
ExoMol molecular line lists XXXVI: X 2? - X 2? and A 2S+ - X 2? transitions of SH
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Gottlieb C
(2022)
ATOMIUM: ALMA tracing the origins of molecules in dust forming oxygen rich M-type stars Motivation, sample, calibration, and initial results
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Gourgouliatos K
(2019)
Nonaxisymmetric Hall instability: A key to understanding magnetars
in Physical Review Research
Description | New data and insights generated in the areas of Particle Physics, Astronomy, Cosmology and Nuclear Physics |
Exploitation Route | Computer System Design and Computer Software design Computational Fluid Dynamics AI/Machine Learning |
Sectors | Aerospace, Defence and Marine,Construction,Creative Economy,Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software),Financial Services, and Management Consultancy,Healthcare,Manufacturing, including Industrial Biotechology,Pharmaceuticals and Medical Biotechnology,Security and Diplomacy,Transport |
URL | https://dirac.ac.uk/2019-highlights/ |
Description | The DiRAC2.5 system designs provided key insight into the Design of the 2021 DiRAC3 design, funded by the 2020 World Class Facilities programme. |
First Year Of Impact | 2021 |
Sector | Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software) |
Impact Types | Economic |
Description | DIRAC-GIRFT(NHS) Project |
Organisation | NHS England |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Public |
PI Contribution | Skills in data science and ML in order to (i) build a clean database and (ii) to study long covid |
Collaborator Contribution | Access to the NHS Health Episodes Statistics databases, supervision by MHS clinicians and statisticians |
Impact | THis project has just started |
Start Year | 2021 |
Description | DiRAC-GSTT Frailty Project |
Organisation | Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust |
Country | United Kingdom |
Sector | Public |
PI Contribution | Application of ML methods to Clinical Frailty Data to construct insight tools to aid clinicians in the approvement of patients with chronic fraility. This is aimed at geriatrics and paedriatrics. Recently this also study long covid. |
Collaborator Contribution | Medical knowledge, supervision, expertise and direction |
Impact | Papers are being prepared to report our results. |
Start Year | 2019 |
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 |