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
Mercer A
(2020)
Planet formation around M dwarfs via disc instability Fragmentation conditions and protoplanet properties
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Mellor T
(2021)
Artificial Symmetries for Calculating Vibrational Energies of Linear Molecules
in Symmetry
Mellor T
(2023)
ExoMol line lists - XLVIII. High-temperature line list of thioformaldehyde (H2CS)
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Mellor T
(2023)
MARVEL analysis of high-resolution spectra of thioformaldehyde (H 2 CS)
in Journal of Molecular Spectroscopy
McNally C
(2019)
Multiplanet systems in inviscid discs can avoid forming resonant chains
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
McNally C
(2019)
Migrating super-Earths in low-viscosity discs: unveiling the roles of feedback, vortices, and laminar accretion flows
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
McLean E
(2019)
Lattice QCD form factor for B s ? D s * l ? at zero recoil with nonperturbative current renormalization
in Physical Review D
McLean E
(2019)
$B_s\to D^{(*)}_s l\nu$ form factors using heavy HISQ quarks
McLean E
(2020)
B s ? D s l ? form factors for the full q 2 range from lattice QCD with nonperturbatively normalized currents
in Physical Review D
McCarthy I
(2023)
The FLAMINGO project: revisiting the S 8 tension and the role of baryonic physics
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
McCarthy I
(2020)
The imprint of dark subhaloes on the circumgalactic medium
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
McAlpine S
(2020)
Galaxy mergers in eagle do not induce a significant amount of black hole growth yet do increase the rate of luminous AGN
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
McAlpine S
(2019)
The nature of submillimetre and highly star-forming galaxies in the EAGLE simulation
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
McAlpine S
(2019)
The gas fractions of dark matter haloes hosting simulated ~L? galaxies are governed by the feedback history of their black holes
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
McAlpine S
(2022)
SIBELIUS-DARK: a galaxy catalogue of the local volume from a constrained realization simulation
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Maunder T
(2024)
Synthetic light curves and spectra from a self-consistent 2D simulation of an ultra-strippped supernova
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Maund J
(2024)
Exploring the polarization of axially symmetric supernovae with unsupervised deep learning
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Matteini L
(2020)
Magnetic Field Turbulence in the Solar Wind at Sub-ion Scales: In Situ Observations and Numerical Simulations
in Frontiers in Astronomy and Space Sciences
Mason S
(2022)
Magnetoconvection in a rotating spherical shell in the presence of a uniform axial magnetic field
in Geophysical & Astrophysical Fluid Dynamics
Martin-Alvarez S
(2020)
How primordial magnetic fields shrink galaxies
Martin G
(2019)
The formation and evolution of low-surface-brightness galaxies
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Marolf D
(2019)
Phases of holographic Hawking radiation on spatially compact spacetimes
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Mant B
(2019)
The infrared spectrum of PF 3 and analysis of rotational energy clustering effect
in Molecular Physics
Mann A
(2022)
TESS Hunt for Young and Maturing Exoplanets (THYME). VI. An 11 Myr Giant Planet Transiting a Very-low-mass Star in Lower Centaurus Crux
in The Astronomical Journal
Maltman K
(2019)
Current Status of inclusive hadronic tau determinations of |V_us|
in SciPost Physics Proceedings
Malbrunot-Ettenauer S
(2022)
Nuclear Charge Radii of the Nickel Isotopes ^{58-68,70}Ni.
in Physical review letters
Mak M
(2023)
3D Simulations of the Archean Earth Including Photochemical Haze Profiles
in Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres
Mahmoud R
(2019)
Reverberation reveals the truncated disc in the hard state of GX 339-4
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Mahler G
(2019)
RELICS: Strong Lensing Analysis of MACS J0417.5-1154 and Predictions for Observing the Magnified High-redshift Universe with JWST
in The Astrophysical Journal
MacTaggart D
(2021)
Direct evidence that twisted flux tube emergence creates solar active regions.
in Nature communications
Macpherson H
(2023)
Cosmological distances with general-relativistic ray tracing: framework and comparison to cosmographic predictions
in Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics
MacFarlane B
(2019)
Observational signatures of outbursting protostars - I: From hydrodynamic simulations to observations
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
MacFarlane B
(2019)
Observational signatures of outbursting protostars - II. Exploring a wide range of eruptive protostars
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Ma S
(2023)
YunMa: Enabling Spectral Retrievals of Exoplanetary Clouds
in The Astrophysical Journal
Lytle A.T.
(2018)
Quark mass determinations with the RI-SMOM scheme and HISQ action
in Proceedings of Science
Lytle A.
(2018)
Bc spectroscopy using highly improved staggered quarks
in Proceedings of Science
Lytle A
(2019)
$B_c$ spectroscopy using highly improved staggered quarks
Ludlow A
(2019)
Numerical convergence of simulations of galaxy formation: the abundance and internal structure of cold dark matter haloes
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Lucini B
(2021)
Sp(4) gauge theories and beyond the standard model physics
Lucini B
(2022)
Sp(4) gauge theories and beyond the standard model physics
in EPJ Web of Conferences
Lower S
(2020)
How Well Can We Measure the Stellar Mass of a Galaxy: The Impact of the Assumed Star Formation History Model in SED Fitting
in The Astrophysical Journal
Lovell M
(2020)
Toward a General Parameterization of the Warm Dark Matter Halo Mass Function
in The Astrophysical Journal
Lovell M
(2020)
Local group star formation in warm and self-interacting dark matter cosmologies
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society