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
Talbot R
(2022)
Blandford-Znajek jets in galaxy formation simulations: exploring the diversity of outflows produced by spin-driven AGN jets in Seyfert galaxies
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Shao S
(2021)
The twisted dark matter halo of the Milky Way
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
Xu W
(2020)
Galaxy properties in the cosmic web of EAGLE simulation
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Yurchenko S
(2020)
ExoMol line lists - XXXVIII. High-temperature molecular line list of silicon dioxide (SiO2)
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
Richings A
(2022)
The effects of local stellar radiation and dust depletion on non-equilibrium interstellar chemistry
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Riley A
(2019)
The velocity anisotropy of the Milky Way satellite system
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Amorisco N
(2022)
Halo concentration strengthens dark matter constraints in galaxy-galaxy strong lensing analyses
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Cuomo V
(2023)
Testing for relics of past strong buckling events in edge-on galaxies: simulation predictions and data from S4G
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Trayford J
(2019)
The star formation rate and stellar content contributions of morphological components in the EAGLE simulations
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Sartorio N
(2023)
Population III X-ray binaries and their impact on the early universe
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
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
Pfeffer J
(2019)
Young star cluster populations in the E-MOSAICS simulations
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Callingham T
(2019)
The mass of the Milky Way from satellite dynamics
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Wijers N
(2022)
The warm-hot circumgalactic medium around EAGLE-simulation galaxies and its detection prospects with X-ray-line emission
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
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
Robson D
(2023)
Redshift evolution of galaxy group X-ray properties in the Simba simulations
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Young A
(2023)
On the conditions for warping and breaking protoplanetary discs
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
Oppenheimer B
(2020)
Feedback from supermassive black holes transforms centrals into passive galaxies by ejecting circumgalactic gas
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Glowacki M
(2020)
The baryonic Tully-Fisher relation in the simba simulation
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Prole L
(2022)
Fragmentation-induced starvation in Population III star formation: a resolution study
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Owens A
(2022)
ExoMol line lists - XLVII. Rovibronic molecular line list of the calcium monohydroxide radical (CaOH)
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Shao S
(2019)
Screening maps of the local Universe I - Methodology
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Henden N
(2019)
The redshift evolution of X-ray and Sunyaev-Zel'dovich scaling relations in the fable simulations
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Lovell M
(2020)
Local group star formation in warm and self-interacting dark matter cosmologies
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Wijers N
(2020)
The warm-hot circumgalactic medium around EAGLE-simulation galaxies and its detection prospects with X-ray and UV line absorption
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Reina-Campos M
(2023)
Constraining the shape of dark matter haloes with globular clusters and diffuse stellar light in the E-MOSAICS simulations
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Pereira-Wilson M
(2023)
The cosmic UV background and the beginning and end of star formation in simulated field dwarf galaxies
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Becker G
(2021)
The mean free path of ionizing photons at 5 < z < 6: evidence for rapid evolution near reionization
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Nightingale J
(2019)
Galaxy structure with strong gravitational lensing: decomposing the internal mass distribution of massive elliptical galaxies
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Molaro M
(2022)
The effect of inhomogeneous reionization on the Lyman a forest power spectrum at redshift z > 4: implications for thermal parameter recovery
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Rhodin N
(2019)
The nature of strong H i absorbers probed by cosmological simulations: satellite accretion and outflows
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Robertson A
(2019)
Observable tests of self-interacting dark matter in galaxy clusters: cosmological simulations with SIDM and baryons
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Genina A
(2022)
Can tides explain the low dark matter density in Fornax?
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Yurchenko S
(2020)
ExoMol line lists - XXXIX. Ro-vibrational molecular line list for CO2
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Gómez-Guijarro C
(2020)
How primordial magnetic fields shrink galaxies
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Yurchenko S
(2020)
ExoMol molecular line lists - XXXVII. Spectra of acetylene
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Arnold C
(2019)
The modified gravity light-cone simulation project - I. Statistics of matter and halo distributions
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Wurster J
(2020)
Non-ideal magnetohydrodynamics versus turbulence - I. Which is the dominant process in protostellar disc formation?
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Kobayashi C
(2020)
Stellar migrations and metal flows - Chemical evolution of the thin disc of a simulated Milky Way analogous galaxy
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Huško F
(2023)
The buildup of galaxies and their spheroids: The contributions of mergers, disc instabilities, and star formation
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Yurchenko S
(2020)
ExoMol line lists - XL. Rovibrational molecular line list for the hydronium ion (H3O+)
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Bilimogga P
(2022)
Using eagle simulations to study the effect of observational constraints on the determination of H i asymmetries in galaxies
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
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
Lovell M
(2019)
The signal of decaying dark matter with hydrodynamical simulations
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Pfeifer S
(2020)
The bahamas project: effects of a running scalar spectral index on large-scale structure
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Pettini M
(2020)
A bound on the 12C/13C ratio in near-pristine gas with ESPRESSO
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society