The DiRAC 2.5x Facility
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 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 more than 250 papers annually in international, peer-reviewed journals. However, the DiRAC2 hardware is now at least 5 years old and is therefore at significant risk of failure. The loss of any one of the DiRAC2 services
would have a potentially disastrous impact on the research communities which rely on it to deliver their scientific research. The main
purpose of the requested funding for the DiRAC2.5x project is to replace the ageing DiRAC2 hardware at Durham, Edinburgh and Leicester
while taking advantage of recent hardware advances to provide some new capabilities (e.g. i/o acceleration using flash storage) as prototypes for
the proposed DiRAC3 services.
DiRAC2.5x builds on the success of the DiRAC HPC facility and will provide the resources needed to support cutting-edge research
during 2018 in all areas of science supported by STFC. While the funding is required to "keep the lights on", 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 which 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 formation and 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 stars many times more massive than the sun.
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 more than 250 papers annually in international, peer-reviewed journals. However, the DiRAC2 hardware is now at least 5 years old and is therefore at significant risk of failure. The loss of any one of the DiRAC2 services
would have a potentially disastrous impact on the research communities which rely on it to deliver their scientific research. The main
purpose of the requested funding for the DiRAC2.5x project is to replace the ageing DiRAC2 hardware at Durham, Edinburgh and Leicester
while taking advantage of recent hardware advances to provide some new capabilities (e.g. i/o acceleration using flash storage) as prototypes for
the proposed DiRAC3 services.
DiRAC2.5x builds on the success of the DiRAC HPC facility and will provide the resources needed to support cutting-edge research
during 2018 in all areas of science supported by STFC. While the funding is required to "keep the lights on", 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 which 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 formation and 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 stars many times more massive than the sun.
Planned Impact
The anticipated impact of the DiRAC2.5x 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 DiRAC2.5x 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 DiRAC2.5x, including our strategic goals and key performance indicators.
our engagements with industry. Each service provider for DiRAC2.5x 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 DiRAC2.5x, including our strategic goals and key performance indicators.
Organisations
- University of Leicester (Lead Research Organisation)
- UNIVERSITY OF LEICESTER (Collaboration)
- Science and Technologies Facilities Council (STFC) (Collaboration)
- Saclay Nuclear Research Centre (Collaboration)
- Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) (Collaboration)
- Microsoft Research (United Kingdom) (Project Partner)
- StackHPC Limited (Project Partner)
Publications
Adamek J
(2019)
Safely smoothing spacetime: backreaction in relativistic cosmological simulations
in Classical and Quantum Gravity
Adamek Julian
(2018)
Bias and scatter in the Hubble diagram from cosmological large-scale structure
in arXiv e-prints
Agertz O
(2020)
EDGE: the mass-metallicity relation as a critical test of galaxy formation physics
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Ali A
(2022)
Stellar winds and photoionization in a spiral arm
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Ali A
(2023)
Star cluster formation and feedback in different environments of a Milky Way-like galaxy
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Ali A
(2021)
The growth of H ii regions around massive stars: the role of metallicity and dust
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Ali A
(2019)
Massive star feedback in clusters: variation of the FUV interstellar radiation field in time and space
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Arthuis P
(2023)
Quantum Monte Carlo calculations in configuration space with three-nucleon forces
in Physical Review C
Arthur J
(2017)
nIFTy galaxy cluster simulations - V. Investigation of the cluster infall region
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Astoul A
(2022)
The effects of non-linearities on tidal flows in the convective envelopes of rotating stars and planets in exoplanetary systems
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Atar L
(2018)
Quasifree (p, 2p) Reactions on Oxygen Isotopes: Observation of Isospin Independence of the Reduced Single-Particle Strength.
in Physical review letters
Aurrekoetxea J
(2023)
Oscillon formation during inflationary preheating with general relativity
in Physical Review D
Ballabio G
(2023)
[O i ] 6300 Å emission as a probe of external photoevaporation of protoplanetary discs
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Ballabio G
(2018)
Enforcing dust mass conservation in 3D simulations of tightly coupled grains with the Phantom SPH code
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Bamber J
(2023)
Black hole merger simulations in wave dark matter environments
in Physical Review D
Baraffe I
(2021)
Two-dimensional simulations of solar-like models with artificially enhanced luminosity I. Impact on convective penetration
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Bartlett D
(2021)
Calibrating galaxy formation effects in galactic tests of fundamental physics
in Physical Review D
Bate M
(2019)
The statistical properties of stars and their dependence on metallicity
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Bate M
(2020)
Photoionizing feedback in spiral arm molecular clouds
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Beckmann R
(2018)
Bondi or not Bondi: the impact of resolution on accretion and drag force modelling for supermassive black holes
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Beckmann R
(2019)
Zooming in on supermassive black holes: how resolving their gas cloud host renders their accretion episodic
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Bending T
(2022)
Supernovae and photoionizing feedback in spiral arm molecular clouds
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Bennett E
(2022)
Lattice studies of the S p ( 4 ) gauge theory with two fundamental and three antisymmetric Dirac fermions
in Physical Review D
Bennett E
(2022)
S p ( 2 N ) Yang-Mills theories on the lattice: Scale setting and topology
in Physical Review D
Bertulani C
(2021)
Examination of the sensitivity of quasifree reactions to details of the bound-state overlap functions
in Physical Review C
Bolton J
(2017)
The Sherwood simulation suite: overview and data comparisons with the Lyman a forest at redshifts 2 = z = 5
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Bourne M
(2017)
AGN jet feedback on a moving mesh: cocoon inflation, gas flows and turbulence
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Bourne Martin A.
(2019)
AGN jet feedback on a moving mesh: lobe energetics and X-ray properties in a realistic cluster environment
in arXiv e-prints
Buividovich P
(2022)
Quantum chaos in supersymmetric quantum mechanics: An exact diagonalization study
in Physical Review D
Cameron A
(2023)
A novel approach to correcting T e-based mass-metallicity relations
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
Ceuster F
(2022)
3D Line Radiative Transfer & Synthetic Observations with Magritte
in Journal of Open Source Software
Chardin J
(2017)
Large-scale opacity fluctuations in the Lya forest: evidence for QSOs dominating the ionizing UV background at z ~ 5.5-6?
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Chen S
(2019)
Quasifree Neutron Knockout from ^{54}Ca Corroborates Arising N=34 Neutron Magic Number.
in Physical review letters
Chisari N
(2018)
The impact of baryons on the matter power spectrum from the Horizon-AGN cosmological hydrodynamical simulation
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Christie D
(2022)
The impact of phase equilibrium cloud models on GCM simulations of GJ 1214b
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Christie D
(2021)
The impact of mixing treatments on cloud modelling in 3D simulations of hot Jupiters
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Christie D
(2022)
CAMEMBERT: A Mini-Neptunes General Circulation Model Intercomparison, Protocol Version 1.0.A CUISINES Model Intercomparison Project
in The Planetary Science Journal
Coleman G
(2022)
Dusty circumbinary discs: inner cavity structures and stopping locations of migrating planets
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Coleman G
(2024)
Constraining the formation history of the TOI-1338/BEBOP-1 circumbinary planetary system
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Coleman G
(2023)
Global N -body simulations of circumbinary planet formation around Kepler-16 and -34 analogues I: Exploring the pebble accretion scenario
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Constantino T
(2021)
Suppression of lithium depletion in young low-mass stars from fast rotation
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Cooper R
(2020)
Subcritical dynamos in rapidly rotating planar convection
in Physical Review Fluids
Costa T
(2018)
Driving gas shells with radiation pressure on dust in radiation-hydrodynamic simulations
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Costa Tiago
(2017)
Quenching star formation with quasar outflows launched by trapped IR radiation
in ArXiv e-prints
Cuello N
(2019)
Flybys in protoplanetary discs: I. Gas and dust dynamics
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Cufari M
(2023)
Tidal capture of stars by supermassive black holes: implications for periodic nuclear transients and quasi-periodic eruptions
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
Cummins D
(2022)
Extreme pebble accretion in ringed protoplanetary discs
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Currie L
(2020)
Generation of shear flows and vortices in rotating anelastic convection
in Physical Review Fluids
Currie L
(2020)
Convection with misaligned gravity and rotation: simulations and rotating mixing length theory
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Davison T
(2022)
Complex Crater Formation by Oblique Impacts on the Earth and Moon
in Geophysical Research Letters
| Description | Many new discoveries about the formation and evolution of galaxies, star formation, planet formation have been made possible by the award. |
| Exploitation Route | Many international collaborative projects are supported by the HPC resources provided by DiRAC. |
| Sectors | Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software),Education |
| URL | http://www.dirac.ac.uk |
| Description | Major co-design project with Hewlett-Packard Enterprise, including partnership in the HPE/Arm/Suse Catalyst UK programme. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2017 |
| Sector | Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software) |
| Impact Types | Societal |
| Description | DiRAC 2.5x Project Office 2017-2020 |
| Amount | £300,000 (GBP) |
| Organisation | Science and Technologies Facilities Council (STFC) |
| Sector | Public |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 02/2018 |
| End | 03/2020 |
| Title | Citation analysys and Impact |
| Description | Use of IT to determineacademic impact of eInfrastructure |
| Type Of Material | Improvements to research infrastructure |
| Year Produced | 2017 |
| Provided To Others? | Yes |
| Impact | Understood emerging trends in DiRAC Science and helped decide the scale and type of IT investments and direct us to develop new technologies |
| URL | http://www.dirac.ac.uk |
| Description | Co-design project with Hewlett Packard Enterprise |
| Organisation | Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | Technical support and operations costs for running the hardware. Research workflows to test the system performance, and investment of academic time and software engineering time to optimise code for new hardware. Project will explore suitability of hardware for DiRAC workflows and provide feedback to HPE. |
| Collaborator Contribution | In-kind provision of research computing hardware. Value is commercially confidential. |
| Impact | As this collaboration is about to commence, there are no outcomes to report at this point. |
| Start Year | 2018 |
| Description | DiRAC |
| Organisation | Science and Technologies Facilities Council (STFC) |
| Department | Distributed Research Utilising Advanced Computing |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | I am the PI for two research grants for the procurement and running of the Complexity@DiRAC High Performance Computing cluster at the University of Leicester. This cluster is now in active operation as a national HPC facility. |
| Collaborator Contribution | DiRAC is the facility which provides HPC resources for the theoretical astrophysics and particle physics communities within STFC. |
| Impact | The establishment and running of a new HPC cluster at the University of Leicester as part of the DiRAC national facility. |
| Start Year | 2011 |
| Description | STFC Centres for Doctoral Training in Data Intensive Science |
| Organisation | University of Leicester |
| Department | STFC DiRAC Complexity Cluster (HPC Facility Leicester) |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | Support for STFC Centres for Doctoral Training (CDT) in Data Intensive Science - DiRAC is a partner in five of the eight of the newly established STFC CDTs, and is actively engaged with them in developing industrial partnerships. DiRAC is also offering placements to CDT students interested in Research Software Engineering roles. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Students to work on interesting technical problems for DiRAC |
| Impact | This is the first year |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Description | Surrey-Saclay |
| Organisation | Saclay Nuclear Research Centre |
| Country | France |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | Provided codes and know-how to develop GF Gorkov formalism and implementation. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Help spreading and advertise my research |
| Impact | Presentation of preliminary results at conference. Grant still ongoing. Results being written up. Output will be first ab-initio calculation of fully open shells. |
| Start Year | 2010 |