DiRAC: Memory Intensive 2.5y
Lead Research Organisation:
Durham University
Department Name: Physics
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 200-250 papers annually in international, peer-reviewed journals. However, the DiRAC facility risks becoming uncompetitive as it has remained static in terms of overall capability since 2012. The DiRAC-2.5x investment in 2017/18 mitigated the risk of hardware failures, by replacing our oldest hardware components. However, as the factor 5 oversubscription of the most recent RAC call demonstrated, the science programme in 2019/20 and beyond requires a significant uplift in DiRAC's compute capability. The main purpose of the requested funding for the DiRAC2.5y project is to provide a factor 2 increase in computing across all DiRAC services to enable the facility to remain competitive during 2019/20 in anticipation of future funding for DiRAC-3.
DiRAC2.5y builds on the success of the DiRAC HPC facility and will provide the resources needed to support cutting-edge research during 2019 in all areas of science supported by STFC. While the funding is required to remain competitive, 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 and 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 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 massive stars.
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 200-250 papers annually in international, peer-reviewed journals. However, the DiRAC facility risks becoming uncompetitive as it has remained static in terms of overall capability since 2012. The DiRAC-2.5x investment in 2017/18 mitigated the risk of hardware failures, by replacing our oldest hardware components. However, as the factor 5 oversubscription of the most recent RAC call demonstrated, the science programme in 2019/20 and beyond requires a significant uplift in DiRAC's compute capability. The main purpose of the requested funding for the DiRAC2.5y project is to provide a factor 2 increase in computing across all DiRAC services to enable the facility to remain competitive during 2019/20 in anticipation of future funding for DiRAC-3.
DiRAC2.5y builds on the success of the DiRAC HPC facility and will provide the resources needed to support cutting-edge research during 2019 in all areas of science supported by STFC. While the funding is required to remain competitive, 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 and 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 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 massive stars.
Planned Impact
The anticipated impact of the DiRAC2.5y 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 DiRAC2.5y 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 the lead (Leicester) proposal describes the overall industrial strategy for the DiRAC facility, including our strategic goals and key performance indicators.
Organisations
Publications
Chan T
(2023)
Simulations of the reionization of the clumpy intergalactic medium with a novel particle-based two-moment radiative transfer scheme
in Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union
Chan T
(2024)
The impact and response of mini-haloes and the interhalo medium on cosmic reionization
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Cheek A
(2023)
Evaporation of primordial black holes in the early Universe: Mass and spin distributions
in Physical Review D
Cheek A
(2022)
Redshift effects in particle production from Kerr primordial black holes
in Physical Review D
Christiansen J
(2020)
Jet feedback and the photon underproduction crisis in simba
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Christiansen J
(2019)
Jet Feedback and the Photon Underproduction Crisis in Simba
Chubb K
(2021)
The ExoMolOP database: Cross sections and k -tables for molecules of interest in high-temperature exoplanet atmospheres
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Clark VHJ
(2021)
Modelling the non-local thermodynamic equilibrium spectra of silylene (SiH2).
in Physical chemistry chemical physics : PCCP
Clough K
(2021)
Continuity equations for general matter: applications in numerical relativity
in Classical and Quantum Gravity
Conaboy L
(2023)
Relative baryon-dark matter velocities in cosmological zoom simulations
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Cooper L
(2022)
Form factors for the processes B c + ? D 0 l + ? l and B c + ? D s + l + l - ( ? ? ¯ ) from lattice QCD
in Physical Review D
Corasaniti P
(2022)
Forecasting cosmological parameter constraints using multiple sparsity measurements as tracers of the mass profiles of dark matter haloes
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Coulton W
(2020)
Weak lensing minima and peaks: Cosmological constraints and the impact of baryons
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Cowell J
(2023)
Potential signature of a quadrupolar hubble expansion in Pantheon+supernovae
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Cowley W
(2019)
The evolution of the UV-to-mm extragalactic background light: evidence for a top-heavy initial mass function?
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Cuesta-Lazaro C
(2022)
Galaxy clustering from the bottom up: A Streaming Model emulator I
Cuesta-Lazaro C
(2023)
Galaxy clustering from the bottom up: a streaming model emulator I
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Cui W
(2021)
The origin of galaxy colour bimodality in the scatter of the stellar-to-halo mass relation
in Nature Astronomy
D'Silva J
(2023)
Unveiling the main sequence of galaxies at z = 5 with the JWST : predictions from simulations
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Dai Z
(2024)
Physics-informed neural networks in the recreation of hydrodynamic simulations from dark matter
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Davies C
(2019)
Cosmological test of gravity using weak lensing voids
Davies C
(2020)
Optimal void finders in weak lensing maps
Davies C
(2021)
Optimal void finders in weak lensing maps
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Davies C
(2019)
The self similarity of weak lensing peaks
Davies C
(2019)
Cosmological test of gravity using weak lensing voids
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Davies C
(2019)
The self-similarity of weak lensing peaks
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Davé R
(2019)
simba: Cosmological simulations with black hole growth and feedback
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
De Pontieu B
(2022)
Probing the Physics of the Solar Atmosphere with the Multi-slit Solar Explorer (MUSE). I. Coronal Heating
in The Astrophysical Journal
Deakin T
(2021)
Analyzing Reduction Abstraction Capabilities
Deason A
(2022)
Dwarf stellar haloes: a powerful probe of small-scale galaxy formation and the nature of dark matter
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Deason A
(2023)
Unravelling the mass spectrum of destroyed dwarf galaxies with the metallicity distribution function
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Decataldo D
(2020)
Shaping the structure of a GMC with radiation and winds
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Decataldo D
(2020)
Shaping the structure of a GMC with radiation and winds
Delgado A
(2023)
The MillenniumTNG project: intrinsic alignments of galaxies and haloes
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society