DiRAC 2.5 Operations 2017-2020
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 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.
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
Nealon R
(2020)
Spirals, shadows & precession in HD 100453 - II. The hidden companion
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Rosca-Mead R
(2020)
Structure of neutron stars in massive scalar-tensor gravity
Hassan S
(2020)
Testing galaxy formation simulations with damped Lyman-a abundance and metallicity evolution
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Davies CTH
(2020)
Lattice QCD Matrix Elements for the B_{s}^{0}-B[over ¯]_{s}^{0} Width Difference beyond Leading Order.
in Physical review letters
Li B
(2020)
Measuring the baryon acoustic oscillation peak position with different galaxy selections
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Hatton D
(2020)
Charmonium properties from lattice QCD + QED : Hyperfine splitting, J / ? leptonic width, charm quark mass, and a µ c
in Physical Review D
Drach V
(2020)
Composite electroweak sectors on the lattice
Pichon C
(2020)
And yet it flips: connecting galactic spin and the cosmic web
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Kegerreis J
(2020)
Atmospheric Erosion by Giant Impacts onto Terrestrial Planets
in The Astrophysical Journal
Keating L
(2020)
Long troughs in the Lyman-a forest below redshift 6 due to islands of neutral hydrogen
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Vandenbroucke B
(2020)
CMACIONIZE 2.0: a novel task-based approach to Monte Carlo radiation transfer
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Lofthouse E
(2020)
MUSE Analysis of Gas around Galaxies (MAGG) - I: Survey design and the environment of a near pristine gas cloud at z ˜ 3.5
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Kewley L
(2020)
Oxygen loss from simulated galaxies and the metal flow main sequence: predicting the dependence on mass and environment
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Figueras P
(2020)
Gravitational collapse in cubic Horndeski theories
in Classical and Quantum Gravity
Daisy Leung T
(2020)
Predictions of the L [C ii] -SFR and [Cii] Luminosity Function at the Epoch of Reionization
in The Astrophysical Journal
Bate M
(2020)
Photoionizing feedback in spiral arm molecular clouds
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Richardson M
(2020)
Simulating gas kinematic studies of high-redshift galaxies with the HARMONI integral field spectrograph
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Cooper L
(2020)
B c ? B s ( d ) form factors from lattice QCD
in Physical Review D
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
Davies J
(2020)
The quenching and morphological evolution of central galaxies is facilitated by the feedback-driven expulsion of circumgalactic gas
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Cooke R
(2020)
The ACCELERATION programme: I. Cosmology with the redshift drift
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Pagano P
(2020)
Effect of Coronal Loop Structure on Wave Heating by Phase Mixing
Antolin P
(2020)
Reconnection nanojets in the solar corona
in Nature Astronomy
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
Bulla M
(2020)
White dwarf deflagrations for Type Iax supernovae: polarisation signatures from the explosion and companion interaction
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Read P
(2020)
The turbulent dynamics of Jupiter's and Saturn's weather layers: order out of chaos?
in Geoscience Letters
Threlfall J
(2020)
How Is Helicity (and Twist) Partitioned in Magnetohydrodynamic Simulations of Reconnecting Magnetic Flux Tubes?
in The Astrophysical Journal
Bennett E
(2020)
Color dependence of tensor and scalar glueball masses in Yang-Mills theories
in Physical Review D
Buividovich P
(2020)
Electric conductivity in finite-density S U ( 2 ) lattice gauge theory with dynamical fermions
in Physical Review D
Rosca-Mead R
(2020)
Core collapse in massive scalar-tensor gravity
Ilee J
(2020)
Observing protoplanetary discs with the Square Kilometre Array - I. Characterizing pebble substructure caused by forming planets
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Van der Werf P
(2020)
An ALMA survey of the SCUBA-2 CLS UDS field: physical properties of 707 sub-millimetre galaxies
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Cooper L
(2020)
$B_c \to B_{s(d)}$ form factors
Monaco P
(2020)
The accuracy of weak lensing simulations
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Haworth T
(2020)
The observational anatomy of externally photoevaporating planet-forming discs - I. Atomic carbon
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Lee J
(2020)
Dual Effects of Ram Pressure on Star Formation in Multiphase Disk Galaxies with Strong Stellar Feedback
in The Astrophysical Journal
Mercer A
(2020)
Planet formation around M dwarfs via disc instability Fragmentation conditions and protoplanet properties
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Dalla Vecchia C
(2020)
Constraining the inner density slope of massive galaxy clusters
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Pagano P
(2020)
Effect of coronal loop structure on wave heating through phase mixing
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Sormani M
(2020)
Simulations of the Milky Way's Central Molecular Zone - II. Star formation
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Pedersen C
(2020)
Massive neutrinos and degeneracies in Lyman-alpha forest simulations
in Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics
Hall C
(2020)
Predicting the Kinematic Evidence of Gravitational Instability
in The Astrophysical Journal
Kruijssen J
(2020)
Kraken reveals itself - the merger history of the Milky Way reconstructed with the E-MOSAICS simulations
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Barrera-Hinojosa C
(2020)
GRAMSES: a new route to general relativistic N -body simulations in cosmology. Part I. Methodology and code description
in Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics
He J
(2020)
Modelling the tightest relation between galaxy properties and dark matter halo properties from hydrodynamical simulations of galaxy formation
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Yoo T
(2020)
On the origin of low escape fractions of ionizing radiation from massive star-forming galaxies at high redshift
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society