The DiRAC 2.5x Facility
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Cambridge
Department Name: Institute of 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 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.
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 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.
Organisations
Publications
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
Cabayol-Garcia L
(2023)
A neural network emulator for the Lyman-a forest 1D flux power spectrum
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Daly R
(2023)
Successful kinetic impact into an asteroid for planetary defence
in Nature
Talbot R
(2023)
Simulations of spin-driven AGN jets in gas-rich galaxy mergers
Cabayol-Garcia L
(2023)
A neural network emulator for the Lyman-$a$ 1D flux power spectrum
Harper A
(2023)
Finite-temperature effects on the x-ray absorption spectra of crystalline alumina from first principles
in AIP Advances
Changeat Q
(2023)
ESA-Ariel Data Challenge NeurIPS 2022: introduction to exo-atmospheric studies and presentation of the Atmospheric Big Challenge (ABC) Database
in RAS Techniques and Instruments
Collins C
(2023)
Kilonova emission from realistic neutron star merger simulations
Orkney M
(2023)
EDGE: the shape of dark matter haloes in the faintest galaxies
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Pedersen C
(2023)
Compressing the Cosmological Information in One-dimensional Correlations of the Lyman-a Forest
in The Astrophysical Journal
Evstafyeva T
(2023)
Unequal-mass boson-star binaries: initial data and merger dynamics
in Classical and Quantum Gravity
Laitinen T
(2023)
Solar energetic particle event onsets at different heliolongitudes: The effect of turbulence in Parker spiral geometry
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Kirchschlager F
(2023)
Dust survival rates in clumps passing through the Cas A reverse shock - II. The impact of magnetic fields
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Joswig F
(2023)
Exploring distillation at the SU(3) flavour symmetric point
Dome T
(2023)
Cosmic web dissection in fuzzy dark matter cosmologies
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Evstafyeva T
(2023)
Unequal-mass boson-star binaries: initial data and merger dynamics
Evstafyeva T
(2023)
Boson stars in massless and massive scalar-tensor gravity
in Physical Review D
Flynn J
(2023)
Exclusive semileptonic B s ? K l ? decays on the lattice
in Physical Review D
Heyl J
(2023)
Data quality and autism: Issues and potential impacts
in International Journal of Medical Informatics
Dome T
(2023)
On the cosmic web elongation in fuzzy dark matter cosmologies: Effects on density profiles, shapes, and alignments of haloes
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
De Jong E
(2023)
Spinning primordial black holes formed during a matter-dominated era
in Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics
Hands S
(2023)
Spectroscopy in the 2 + 1 D Thirring model with N = 1 domain wall fermions
in Physical Review D
Ratnasingam R
(2023)
Internal gravity waves in massive stars II. Frequency analysis across stellar mass
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Alvarez M
(2023)
NNLO QCD corrections to event shapes at the LHC
Nightingale J
(2023)
Abell 1201: detection of an ultramassive black hole in a strong gravitational lens
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Brady S
(2023)
Solving the initial conditions problem for modified gravity theories
in Physical Review D
Croft R
(2023)
The gravitational afterglow of boson stars
in Classical and Quantum Gravity
Cheng A
(2023)
Momentum transfer from the DART mission kinetic impact on asteroid Dimorphos
in Nature
Robson D
(2023)
Redshift evolution of galaxy group X-ray properties in the Simba simulations
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Collins C
(2023)
3D radiative transfer kilonova modelling for binary neutron star merger simulations
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Parrott W
(2023)
B ? K and D ? K form factors from fully relativistic lattice QCD
in Physical Review D
Vanon R
(2023)
Three-dimensional Simulations of Massive Stars. II. Age Dependence
in The Astrophysical Journal
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
Reid J
(2023)
Self-consistent nanoflare heating in model active regions: MHD avalanches
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Daley-Yates S
(2023)
Heating and cooling in stellar coronae: coronal rain on a young Sun
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Jennings F
(2023)
Halo scaling relations and hydrostatic mass bias in the simba simulation from realistic mock X-ray catalogues
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Nightingale J
(2023)
Abell 1201: Detection of an Ultramassive Black Hole in a Strong Gravitational Lens
Debattista V
(2023)
The Imprint of Clump Formation at High Redshift. II. The Chemistry of the Bulge
in The Astrophysical Journal
Lindert J
(2023)
Precise predictions for V + 2 jet backgrounds in searches for invisible Higgs decays
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Astoul A
(2023)
Tidally Excited Inertial Waves in Stars and Planets: Exploring the Frequency-dependent and Averaged Dissipation with Nonlinear Simulations
in The Astrophysical Journal Letters
Puchwein E
(2023)
The Sherwood-Relics simulations: overview and impact of patchy reionization and pressure smoothing on the intergalactic medium
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society