DiRAC: Memory Intensive 2.5x
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 more than 250
papers annually in international, peer-reviewed journals. However, the
DiRAC2 hardware is now at least 5 years old and is therefore at
significant risk of failure. The loss of any one of the DiRAC2
services would have a potentially disastrous impact on the research
communities which rely on it to deliver their scientific research. The
main purpose of the requested funding for the DiRAC2.5x project is to
replace the ageing DiRAC2 hardware at Durham, Edinburgh and Leicester
while taking advantage of recent hardware advances to provide some new
capabilities (e.g. i/o acceleration using flash storage) as prototypes
for the proposed DiRAC3 services.
The DiRAC-2.5x project builds on the success of the DiRAC-2.5 HPC facility and will provide the resources needed
to support cutting edge research starting from 1/4/2018 in all areas of science supported by STFC.
Specifically the funding sort by Durham will allow:
A factor 2 increase in the size of calculation that can be run at Durham, and a 50% increase in the
available computing power (assuming the current DiRAC-2.5 systems continue to operate at the current level).
The usage of the system will be decided by the DiRAC Resource Allocation Committee primarily,
but it is envisaged that the enhanced system will be used for very large calculations, for example, to:
(i) simulate the merger of pairs of black holes which generate gravitational waves such as those recently discovered by the
LIGO consortium;
(ii) perform the most realistic simulations to date of the formation and evolution of galaxies in the Universe
(iii) carry out detailed simulations of the interior of the sun and of planetary interiors.
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 more than 250
papers annually in international, peer-reviewed journals. However, the
DiRAC2 hardware is now at least 5 years old and is therefore at
significant risk of failure. The loss of any one of the DiRAC2
services would have a potentially disastrous impact on the research
communities which rely on it to deliver their scientific research. The
main purpose of the requested funding for the DiRAC2.5x project is to
replace the ageing DiRAC2 hardware at Durham, Edinburgh and Leicester
while taking advantage of recent hardware advances to provide some new
capabilities (e.g. i/o acceleration using flash storage) as prototypes
for the proposed DiRAC3 services.
The DiRAC-2.5x project builds on the success of the DiRAC-2.5 HPC facility and will provide the resources needed
to support cutting edge research starting from 1/4/2018 in all areas of science supported by STFC.
Specifically the funding sort by Durham will allow:
A factor 2 increase in the size of calculation that can be run at Durham, and a 50% increase in the
available computing power (assuming the current DiRAC-2.5 systems continue to operate at the current level).
The usage of the system will be decided by the DiRAC Resource Allocation Committee primarily,
but it is envisaged that the enhanced system will be used for very large calculations, for example, to:
(i) simulate the merger of pairs of black holes which generate gravitational waves such as those recently discovered by the
LIGO consortium;
(ii) perform the most realistic simulations to date of the formation and evolution of galaxies in the Universe
(iii) carry out detailed simulations of the interior of the sun and of planetary interiors.
Planned Impact
The anticipated impact of the DiRAC2.5x 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 DiRAC2.5x 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 Je-S form from Leicester, describes the overall industrial strategy for DiRAC2.5x,
including our strategic goals and key performance indicators.
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 DiRAC2.5x 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 Je-S form from Leicester, describes the overall industrial strategy for DiRAC2.5x,
including our strategic goals and key performance indicators.
Organisations
Publications
Delgado A
(2023)
The MillenniumTNG project: intrinsic alignments of galaxies and haloes
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Desmond H
(2022)
Catalogues of voids as antihaloes in the local Universe
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
Desmond H
(2021)
Catalogues of voids as antihalos in the local Universe
Desmond H
(2023)
On the functional form of the radial acceleration relation
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Desmond H
(2021)
Five percent measurement of the gravitational constant in the Large Magellanic Cloud
in Physical Review D
Desmond H
(2023)
On the functional form of the radial acceleration relation
Despali G
(2020)
The lensing properties of subhaloes in massive elliptical galaxies in sterile neutrino cosmologies
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Dethero M
(2024)
The shape of convection in 2D and 3D global simulations of stellar interiors
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
De Beer S
(2023)
Resolving the physics of quasar Ly a nebulae (RePhyNe): I. Constraining quasar host halo masses through circumgalactic medium kinematics
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Dhandha J
(2024)
Decaying turbulence in molecular clouds: how does it affect filament networks and star formation?
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Dickey C
(2021)
IQ Collaboratory. II. The Quiescent Fraction of Isolated, Low-mass Galaxies across Simulations and Observations
in The Astrophysical Journal
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
Dong-Páez C
(2024)
The Uchuu-SDSS galaxy light-cones: a clustering, redshift space distortion and baryonic acoustic oscillation study
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Dong-Páez C
(2022)
The Uchuu-SDSS galaxy lightcones: a clustering, RSD and BAO study
Dong-Páez C
(2024)
The Uchuu-SDSS galaxy light-cones: a clustering, redshift space distortion and baryonic acoustic oscillation study
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Downing E
(2023)
The many reasons that the rotation curves of low-mass galaxies can fail as tracers of their matter distributions
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Drach V
(2021)
Scattering of Goldstone bosons and resonance production in a composite Higgs model on the lattice
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Drewes N
(2021)
On the Dynamics of Low-viscosity Warped Disks around Black Holes
in The Astrophysical Journal
Driver S
(2022)
Galaxy And Mass Assembly (GAMA): Data Release 4 and the z < 0.1 total and z < 0.08 morphological galaxy stellar mass functions
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Dutta R
(2024)
Metal line emission around z < 1 galaxies
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Edwards B
(2020)
ARES I: WASP-76 b, A Tale of Two HST Spectra*
in The Astronomical Journal
Edwards B
(2020)
Hubble WFC3 Spectroscopy of the Habitable-zone Super-Earth LHS 1140 b
in The Astronomical Journal
Elbers W
(2020)
An optimal nonlinear method for simulating relic neutrinos
Elbers W
(2022)
Higher order initial conditions with massive neutrinos
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Elbers W
(2022)
Geodesic motion and phase-space evolution of massive neutrinos
Elbers W
(2022)
Higher-order initial conditions with massive neutrinos
Elbers W
(2022)
Geodesic motion and phase-space evolution of massive neutrinos
in Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics
Elbers W
(2023)
Persistent topology of the reionization bubble network - II. Evolution and classification
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Elbers W
(2023)
Where shadows lie: reconstruction of anisotropies in the neutrino sky
in Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics
Elley M
(2025)
Robustness of inflation to kinetic inhomogeneities
in Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics
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
Elsender D
(2021)
The statistical properties of protostellar discs and their dependence on metallicity
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
Ereza J
(2024)
The Uchuu - glam BOSS and eBOSS LRG lightcones: exploring clustering and covariance errors
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
Errani R
(2020)
The asymptotic tidal remnants of cold dark matter subhalos
Errani R
(2022)
Structure and kinematics of tidally limited satellite galaxies in LCDM
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
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
Fa W
(2018)
Unravelling the Mystery of Lunar Anomalous Craters Using Radar and Infrared Observations
in Journal of Geophysical Research: Planets
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| URL | https://dirac.ac.uk |