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
Baugh C
(2022)
Modelling emission lines in star-forming galaxies
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Suarez T
(2021)
Modelling intergalactic low ionization metal absorption line systems near the epoch of reionization
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Clark VHJ
(2021)
Modelling the non-local thermodynamic equilibrium spectra of silylene (SiH2).
in Physical chemistry chemical physics : PCCP
Manzoni G
(2021)
Modelling the quenching of star formation activity from the evolution of the colour-magnitude relation in VIPERS
in New Astronomy
He J
(2020)
Modelling the tightest relation between galaxy properties and dark matter halo properties from hydrodynamical simulations of galaxy formation
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Ho S
(2020)
Morphological and Rotation Structures of Circumgalactic Mg ii Gas in the EAGLE Simulation and the Dependence on Galaxy Properties
in The Astrophysical Journal
Somà V
(2021)
Moving away from singly-magic nuclei with Gorkov Green's function theory
in The European Physical Journal A
Horst L
(2021)
Multidimensional low-Mach number time-implicit hydrodynamic simulations of convective helium shell burning in a massive star
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Gonzalez-Perez V
(2020)
Multiwavelength consensus of large-scale linear bias
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Fowlie A
(2022)
Nested Sampling for Frequentist Computation: Fast Estimation of Small p-Values.
in Physical review letters
Kobayashi C
(2020)
New Type Ia Supernova Yields and the Manganese and Nickel Problems in the Milky Way and Dwarf Spheroidal Galaxies
in The Astrophysical Journal
Li Y
(2022)
Non-linear reconstruction of features in the primordial power spectrum from large-scale structure
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Gourgouliatos K
(2020)
Nonaxisymmetric Hall instability: A key to understanding magnetars
Adamek J
(2020)
Numerical solutions to Einstein's equations in a shearing-dust universe: a code comparison
in Classical and Quantum Gravity
Buividovich P
(2021)
Numerical study of the chiral separation effect in two-color QCD at finite density
in Physical Review D
Evans T
(2022)
Observing EAGLE galaxies with JWST : predictions for Milky Way progenitors and their building blocks
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
Schaller M
(2023)
On the anisotropic distribution of clusters in the local Universe
Schaller M
(2024)
On the anisotropic distribution of clusters in the local Universe
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
Smith R
(2023)
On the distribution of the cold neutral medium in galaxy discs
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Drewes N
(2021)
On the Dynamics of Low-viscosity Warped Disks around Black Holes
in The Astrophysical Journal
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
Desmond H
(2023)
On the functional form of the radial acceleration relation
Desmond H
(2023)
On the functional form of the radial acceleration relation
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Bose B
(2020)
On the road to per cent accuracy IV: ReACT - computing the non-linear power spectrum beyond ?CDM
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Aylett-Bullock J
(2021)
Operational response simulation tool for epidemics within refugee and IDP settlements: A scenario-based case study of the Cox's Bazar settlement.
in PLoS computational biology
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
Nazari Z
(2021)
Oscillon collapse to black holes
in Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics
Aurrekoetxea J
(2023)
Oscillon formation during inflationary preheating with general relativity
in Physical Review D
Aurrekoetxea J
(2023)
Oscillon formation during inflationary preheating with general relativity
Veresvarska M
(2023)
Outer disc edge: properties of low-frequency aperiodic variability in ultracompact interacting binaries
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Lara-Lopez M
(2019)
Oxygen yields as a constraint on feedback processes in galaxies
Lara-López M
(2019)
Oxygen yields as a constraint on feedback processes in galaxies
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
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
Willis J
(2020)
Parallel Computing: Technology Trends
Nixon C
(2021)
Partial, Zombie, and Full Tidal Disruption of Stars by Supermassive Black Holes
in The Astrophysical Journal
Elbers W
(2023)
Persistent topology of the reionization bubble network - II. Evolution and classification
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