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
Richings J
(2021)
A high-resolution cosmological simulation of a strong gravitational lens
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Hagen S
(2023)
Modelling continuum reverberation in active galactic nuclei: a spectral-timing analysis of the ultraviolet variability through X-ray reverberation in Fairall 9
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Kraljic K
(2020)
The impact of the connectivity of the cosmic web on the physical properties of galaxies at its nodes
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Li N
(2021)
The impact of line-of-sight structures on measuring H 0 with strong lensing time delays
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Ibrahim D
(2024)
The impact of supernova feedback on the mass-metallicity relations
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Braspenning J
(2023)
Sensitivity of non-radiative cloud-wind interactions to the hydrodynamic solver
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Vijayan A
(2022)
First Light And Reionisation Epoch Simulations (FLARES) - III. The properties of massive dusty galaxies at cosmic dawn
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Hernández-Aguayo C
(2021)
Galaxy formation in the brane world I: overview and first results
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Wilkins S
(2022)
First Light and Reionisation Epoch Simulations (FLARES) - VI. The colour evolution of galaxies z = 5-15
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Hernández-Aguayo C
(2021)
Building a digital twin of a luminous red galaxy spectroscopic survey: galaxy properties and clustering covariance
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Šoltinskí T
(2021)
The detectability of strong 21 centimetre forest absorbers from the diffuse intergalactic medium in late reionisation models
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Bennett J
(2020)
Resolving shocks and filaments in galaxy formation simulations: effects on gas properties and star formation in the circumgalactic medium
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Wilkins S
(2023)
First light and reionization epoch simulations (FLARES) V: the redshift frontier
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
Carrillo A
(2024)
Can we really pick and choose? Benchmarking various selections of Gaia Enceladus/Sausage stars in observations with simulations
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Pizzati E
(2024)
Revisiting the extreme clustering of z ˜ 4 quasars with large volume cosmological simulations
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Grove C
(2022)
The DESI N -body simulation project - I. Testing the robustness of simulations for the DESI dark time survey
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Hillier A
(2023)
The role of cooling induced by mixing in the mass and energy cycles of the solar atmosphere
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Christiansen J
(2020)
Jet feedback and the photon underproduction crisis in simba
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Ruan C
(2024)
An emulator-based halo model in modified gravity - I. The halo concentration-mass relation and density profile
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Barnes D
(2021)
Characterizing hydrostatic mass bias with mock-X
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Mayes R
(2021)
Testing the tidal stripping scenario of ultracompact dwarf galaxy formation by using internal properties
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Katsianis A
(2021)
The specific star formation rate function at different mass scales and quenching: a comparison between cosmological models and SDSS
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Feng J
(2024)
On the evolution of the observed mass-to-length relationship for star-forming filaments
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Wu X
(2020)
Photometric properties of reionization-epoch galaxies in the simba simulations
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Sormani M
(2020)
Simulations of the Milky Way's Central Molecular Zone - II. Star formation
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Wilkins S
(2023)
First light and reionization epoch simulations (FLARES) XI: [O iii ] emitting galaxies at 5 < z < 10
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Hassan S
(2020)
Testing galaxy formation simulations with damped Lyman-a abundance and metallicity evolution
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Cuesta-Lazaro C
(2023)
Galaxy clustering from the bottom up: a streaming model emulator I
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Ansarinejad B
(2023)
VST ATLAS galaxy cluster catalogue I: cluster detection and mass calibration
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Bahé Y
(2021)
Strongly lensed cluster substructures are not in tension with ?CDM
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
Dillamore A
(2022)
Merger-induced galaxy transformations in the artemis simulations
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
Reeves A
(2023)
Constraining quenching time-scales in galaxy clusters by forward-modelling stellar ages and quiescent fractions in projected phase space
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Zenocratti L
(2020)
Correlations between mass, stellar kinematics, and gas metallicity in eagle galaxies
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
Desmond H
(2022)
Catalogues of voids as antihaloes in the local Universe
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
Armijo J
(2022)
Making use of sub-resolution haloes in N -body simulations
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
Robertson A
(2021)
The galaxy-galaxy strong lensing cross-sections of simulated ?CDM galaxy clusters
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
Ludlow A
(2019)
Energy equipartition between stellar and dark matter particles in cosmological simulations results in spurious growth of galaxy sizes
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
Tröster T
(2019)
Painting with baryons: augmenting N-body simulations with gas using deep generative models
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
Schaller M
(2024)
On the anisotropic distribution of clusters in the local Universe
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
Sawala T
(2023)
The timeless timing argument and the total mass of the Local Group
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
Guervilly C
(2019)
Turbulent convective length scale in planetary cores.
in Nature
Cui W
(2021)
The origin of galaxy colour bimodality in the scatter of the stellar-to-halo mass relation
in Nature Astronomy
MacTaggart D
(2021)
Direct evidence that twisted flux tube emergence creates solar active regions.
in Nature communications
Elson E
(2023)
Measurements of the angular momentum-mass relations in the Simba simulation
in New Astronomy
Nixon C
(2021)
Accretion discs with non-zero central torque
in New Astronomy
Elson E
(2023)
Measurements of the angular momentum-mass relations in the Simba simulation
in New Astronomy
Manzoni G
(2021)
Modelling the quenching of star formation activity from the evolution of the colour-magnitude relation in VIPERS
in New Astronomy