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
Reid J
(2021)
Linking computational models to follow the evolution of heated coronal plasma
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
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
Macpherson H
(2021)
Luminosity distance and anisotropic sky-sampling at low redshifts: A numerical relativity study
in Physical Review D
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
Gurung-Lopez S
(2019)
Lyman-alpha emitters in a cosmological volume II: the impact of the intergalactic medium
Betts J
(2023)
Machine learning and structure formation in modified gravity
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Betts J
(2023)
Machine Learning and Structure Formation in Modified Gravity
Santos-Santos I
(2021)
Magellanic satellites in ?CDM cosmological hydrodynamical simulations of the Local Group
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Pakmor R
(2024)
Magnetic field amplification in cosmological zoom simulations from dwarf galaxies to galaxy groups
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Whitworth D
(2023)
Magnetic fields do not suppress global star formation in low metallicity dwarf galaxies
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Komissarov S
(2019)
Magnetic inhibition of centrifugal instability
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Komissarov S
(2019)
Magnetic Inhibition of Centrifugal Instability in Astrophysical Jets
Howson T
(2021)
Magnetic reconnection and the Kelvin-Helmholtz instability in the solar corona
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Lander S
(2019)
Magnetic-field evolution in a plastically failing neutron-star crust
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Armijo J
(2022)
Making use of sub-resolution haloes in N -body simulations
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
Armijo J
(2021)
Making use of sub-resolution halos in N-body simulations
Helfer T
(2022)
Malaise and remedy of binary boson-star initial data
in Classical and Quantum Gravity
Appleby S
(2023)
Mapping circumgalactic medium observations to theory using machine learning
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Appleby S
(2023)
Mapping circumgalactic medium observations to theory using machine learning
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Bartlett D
(2023)
Marginalised Normal Regression: Unbiased curve fitting in the presence of x-errors
in The Open Journal of Astrophysics
Jin S
(2023)
Massive galaxy formation caught in action at z ~ 5 with JWST
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Ali A
(2019)
Massive star feedback in clusters: variation of the FUV interstellar radiation field in time and space
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Elson E
(2023)
Measurements of the angular momentum-mass relations in the Simba simulation
in New Astronomy
Elson E
(2023)
Measurements of the angular momentum-mass relations in the Simba simulation
in New Astronomy
Hernández-Aguayo C
(2019)
Measuring the BAO peak position with different galaxy selections
Li B
(2020)
Measuring the baryon acoustic oscillation peak position with different galaxy selections
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Evstafyeva T
(2023)
Measuring the ringdown scalar polarization of gravitational waves in Einstein-scalar-Gauss-Bonnet gravity
in Physical Review D
Srisawat C
(2020)
MEGA: Merger graphs of structure formation
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Roper W
(2020)
MEGA: Merger graphs of structure formation
Dillamore A
(2021)
Merger-induced galaxy transformations in the ARTEMIS simulations
Dillamore A
(2022)
Merger-induced galaxy transformations in the artemis simulations
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Montero F
(2019)
Mergers, Starbursts, and Quenching in the Simba Simulation
Rodríguez Montero F
(2019)
Mergers, starbursts, and quenching in the simba simulation
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Harnois-Déraps J
(2023)
mglens : Modified gravity weak lensing simulations for emulation-based cosmological inference
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Harnois-Déraps J
(2022)
MGLenS: Modified gravity weak lensing simulations for emulation-based cosmological inference
Pagano P
(2019)
MHD simulations of the in situ generation of kink and sausage waves in the solar corona by collision of dense plasma clumps
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
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
Baugh C
(2021)
Modelling emission lines in star forming galaxies