The DiRAC-2.5y Facility
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Leicester
Department Name: Physics and Astronomy
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 amnwhich 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.
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 amnwhich 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 this proposal describes the overall industrial strategy for the DiRAC facility, including our strategic goals and key performance indicators.
The "Pathways to impact" document which is attached to this proposal describes the overall industrial strategy for the DiRAC facility, including our strategic goals and key performance indicators.
Organisations
Publications
Springel V
(2019)
No cores in dark matter-dominated dwarf galaxies with bursty star formation histories
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Gourgouliatos K
(2019)
Nonaxisymmetric Hall instability: A key to understanding magnetars
in Physical Review Research
Battino U
(2019)
NuGrid stellar data set - III. Updated low-mass AGB models and s-process nucleosynthesis with metallicities Z= 0.01, Z = 0.02, and Z = 0.03
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Ludlow A
(2019)
Numerical convergence of simulations of galaxy formation: the abundance and internal structure of cold dark matter haloes
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Harvey D
(2019)
Observable tests of self-interacting dark matter in galaxy clusters: BCG wobbles in a constant density core
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Robertson A
(2019)
Observable tests of self-interacting dark matter in galaxy clusters: cosmological simulations with SIDM and baryons
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
MacFarlane B
(2019)
Observational signatures of outbursting protostars - I: From hydrodynamic simulations to observations
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
MacFarlane B
(2019)
Observational signatures of outbursting protostars - II. Exploring a wide range of eruptive protostars
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Jankovic M
(2019)
Observing substructure in circumstellar discs around massive young stellar objects
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Bozorgnia N
(2019)
On the correlation between the local dark matter and stellar velocities
in Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics
Golightly E
(2019)
On the Diversity of Fallback Rates from Tidal Disruption Events with Accurate Stellar Structure
in The Astrophysical Journal
Grisdale K
(2019)
On the observed diversity of star formation efficiencies in Giant Molecular Clouds
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Cataneo M
(2019)
On the road to percent accuracy: non-linear reaction of the matter power spectrum to dark energy and modified gravity
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Allanson O
(2019)
Particle-in-cell Experiments Examine Electron Diffusion by Whistler-mode Waves: 1. Benchmarking With a Cold Plasma
in Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics
Bickerton J
(2019)
Patterns of flavor symmetry breaking in hadron matrix elements involving u , d , and s quarks
in Physical Review D
Marolf D
(2019)
Phases of holographic Hawking radiation on spatially compact spacetimes
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Mercer A
(2020)
Planet formation around M dwarfs via disc instability Fragmentation conditions and protoplanet properties
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Moliné Á
(2019)
Properties of Subhalos in the Interacting Dark Matter Scenario
in Galaxies
Richings J
(2019)
QED corrections to leptonic decay rates
Arnold C
(2019)
Realistic simulations of galaxy formation in f(R) modified gravity
in Nature Astronomy
Gourgouliatos K
(2017)
Reconfinement and loss of stability in jets from active galactic nuclei
in Nature Astronomy
Birkin J
(2019)
Reconstructing the baryon acoustic oscillations using biased tracers
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
Gourgouliatos K
(2018)
Relativistic centrifugal instability
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
Mahler G
(2019)
RELICS: Strong Lensing Analysis of MACS J0417.5-1154 and Predictions for Observing the Magnified High-redshift Universe with JWST
in The Astrophysical Journal
Hatton D
(2019)
Renormalizing vector currents in lattice QCD using momentum-subtraction schemes
in Physical Review D
Trayford J
(2019)
Resolved galaxy scaling relations in the eagle simulation: star formation, metallicity, and stellar mass on kpc scales
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Mahmoud R
(2019)
Reverberation reveals the truncated disc in the hard state of GX 339-4
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Liu Y
(2019)
Ring structure in the MWC 480 disk revealed by ALMA
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Kessar M
(2019)
Scale Selection in the Stratified Convection of the Solar Photosphere
in The Astrophysical Journal
Shao S
(2019)
Screening maps of the local Universe I - Methodology
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Hillier A
(2020)
Self-similar solutions of asymmetric Rayleigh-Taylor mixing
in Physics of Fluids
Baugh C
(2020)
Sensitivity analysis of a galaxy formation model
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Wareing C
(2019)
Sheets, filaments, and clumps - high-resolution simulations of how the thermal instability can form molecular clouds
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Hough R
(2023)
SIMBA - C : an updated chemical enrichment model for galactic chemical evolution in the SIMBA simulation
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Simpson C
(2019)
Simulating cosmological substructure in the solar neighbourhood
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
Young R
(2019)
Simulating Jupiter's weather layer. Part I: Jet spin-up in a dry atmosphere
in Icarus
Young R
(2019)
Simulating Jupiter's weather layer. Part II: Passive ammonia and water cycles
in Icarus
Lovell M
(2019)
Simulating the Dark Matter Decay Signal from the Perseus Galaxy Cluster
in The Astrophysical Journal Letters
Bennett E
(2019)
Sp (4) gauge theories on the lattice: Nf = 2 dynamical fundamental fermions
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Rosotti G
(2020)
Spiral arms in the protoplanetary disc HD100453 detected with ALMA: evidence for binary-disc interaction and a vertical temperature gradient
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Shanahan R
(2019)
Strong Excess Faraday Rotation on the Inside of the Sagittarius Spiral Arm
in The Astrophysical Journal Letters
Richings J
(2020)
Subhalo destruction in the Apostle and Auriga simulations
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Regan J
(2019)
Super-Eddington accretion and feedback from the first massive seed black holes
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Zucker C
(2019)
Synthetic Large-scale Galactic Filaments: On Their Formation, Physical Properties, and Resemblance to Observations
in The Astrophysical Journal
Vandenbroucke B
(2019)
Testing the stability of supersonic ionized Bondi accretion flows with radiation hydrodynamics
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Hughes M
(2020)
The [a/Fe]-[Fe/H] relation in the E-MOSAICS simulations: its connection to the birth place of globular clusters and the fraction of globular cluster field stars in the bulge
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society