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
Gurung-López S
(2019)
Lya emitters in a cosmological volume II: the impact of the intergalactic medium
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Zheng Y
(2022)
Rapidly quenched galaxies in the Simba cosmological simulation and observations
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Martin-Alvarez S
(2023)
The Pandora project - I. The impact of radiation, magnetic fields, and cosmic rays on the baryonic and dark matter properties of dwarf galaxies
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Huško F
(2023)
Active galactic nuclei jets simulated with smoothed particle hydrodynamics
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Appleby S
(2023)
The physical nature of circumgalactic medium absorbers in Simba
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Li B
(2020)
Measuring the baryon acoustic oscillation peak position with different galaxy selections
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
Davies C
(2019)
Cosmological test of gravity using weak lensing voids
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Welsh L
(2023)
Towards ultra metal-poor DLAs: linking the chemistry of the most metal-poor DLA to the first stars
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Smith A
(2020)
The completed SDSS-IV extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey: N -body mock challenge for the quasar sample
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
Katz H
(2023)
Two modes of LyC escape from bursty star formation: implications for [C ii ] deficits and the sources of reionization
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
Lovell M
(2020)
Local group star formation in warm and self-interacting dark matter cosmologies
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Oleskiewicz P
(2019)
The connection between halo concentrations and assembly histories: a probe of gravity?
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Manera M
(2021)
Obtaining nonlinear galaxy bias constraints from galaxy-lensing phase differences
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
Brown S
(2022)
Towards a universal model for the density profiles of dark matter haloes
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Lovell C
(2023)
First light and reionisation epoch simulations (FLARES) - VIII. The emergence of passive galaxies at z = 5
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Sykes C
(2020)
Determining the primordial helium abundance and UV background using fluorescent emission in star-free dark matter haloes
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Kelly A
(2022)
Apostle-Auriga: effects of different subgrid models on the baryon cycle around Milky Way-mass galaxies
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Barrera-Hinojosa C
(2022)
Looking for a twist: probing the cosmological gravitomagnetic effect via weak lensing-kSZ cross-correlations
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Irodotou D
(2021)
Using angular momentum maps to detect kinematically distinct galactic components
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Lovell C
(2021)
First Light And Reionization Epoch Simulations (FLARES) - I. Environmental dependence of high-redshift galaxy evolution
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Komissarov S
(2019)
Magnetic inhibition of centrifugal instability
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Porth L
(2023)
The information content of projected galaxy fields
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
Elliott E
(2021)
Efficient exploration and calibration of a semi-analytical model of galaxy formation with deep learning
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Kukstas E
(2020)
Environment from cross-correlations: connecting hot gas and the quenching of galaxies
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Lee E
(2022)
A multisimulation study of relativistic SZ temperature scalings in galaxy clusters and groups
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
Acuto A
(2021)
The BAHAMAS project: evaluating the accuracy of the halo model in predicting the non-linear matter power spectrum
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Seeyave L
(2023)
First light and reionization epoch simulations (FLARES) X iii : the lyman-continuum emission of high-redshift galaxies
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Ploeckinger S
(2024)
Resolution criteria to avoid artificial clumping in Lagrangian hydrodynamic simulations with a multiphase interstellar medium
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Huško F
(2022)
Statistics of galaxy mergers: bridging the gap between theory and observation
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Appleby S
(2020)
The impact of quenching on galaxy profiles in the simba simulation
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
Chan T
(2021)
Smoothed particle radiation hydrodynamics: two-moment method with local Eddington tensor closure
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Baxter E
(2021)
The correlation of high-redshift galaxies with the thermal Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect traces reionization
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Barmentloo S
(2023)
Determining satellite infall times using machine learning
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
Theuns T
(2024)
A halo model for cosmological Lyman-limit systems
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Errani R
(2021)
The asymptotic tidal remnants of cold dark matter subhaloes
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Lara-López M
(2019)
Oxygen yields as a constraint on feedback processes in galaxies
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Arnold C
(2022)
forge : the f ( R )-gravity cosmic emulator project - I. Introduction and matter power spectrum emulator
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Ahad S
(2021)
The stellar mass function and evolution of the density profile of galaxy clusters from the Hydrangea simulations at 0 < z < 1.5
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Huško F
(2024)
Winds versus jets: a comparison between black hole feedback modes in simulations of idealized galaxy groups and clusters
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
Mitchell P
(2020)
Galactic outflow rates in the EAGLE simulations
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Mitchell M
(2021)
The impact of modified gravity on the Sunyaev-Zeldovich effect
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society