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
Gonzalez-Perez V
(2020)
Do model emission line galaxies live in filaments at z~1?
Gonzalez-Perez V
(2020)
Do model emission line galaxies live in filaments at z ~ 1?
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Gourgouliatos K
(2020)
Nonaxisymmetric Hall instability: A key to understanding magnetars
Gourgouliatos K
(2019)
Nonaxisymmetric Hall instability: A key to understanding magnetars
in Physical Review Research
Grand R
(2024)
Overview and public data release of the augmented Auriga Project: cosmological simulations of dwarf and Milky Way-mass galaxies
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Grand R
(2018)
Aurigaia: mock Gaia DR2 stellar catalogues from the auriga cosmological simulations
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Granelli A
(2023)
ULYSSES, Universal LeptogeneSiS Equation Solver: version 2
Granelli A
(2023)
ULYSSES, universal LeptogeneSiS equation solver: Version 2
in Computer Physics Communications
Gray A
(2021)
Uncertainty Propagation in SINBAD Fusion Benchmarks with Total Monte Carlo and Imprecise Probabilities
in Fusion Science and Technology
Grisdale K
(2021)
Physical properties and scaling relations of molecular clouds: the impact of star formation
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Gronow S
(2021)
Metallicity-dependent nucleosynthetic yields of Type Ia supernovae originating from double detonations of sub- M Ch white dwarfs
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Gronow S
(2021)
Double detonations of sub-M Ch CO white dwarfs: variations in Type Ia supernovae due to different core and He shell masses
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
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
Gu Q
(2022)
The spatial distribution of satellites in galaxy clusters
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Guervilly C
(2019)
Turbulent convective length scale in planetary cores.
in Nature
Guilluy G
(2020)
ARES IV: Probing the Atmospheres of the Two Warm Small Planets HD 106315c and HD 3167c with the HST/WFC3 Camera*
in The Astronomical Journal
Gunawardhana M
(2018)
Galaxy And Mass Assembly (GAMA): the signatures of galaxy interactions as viewed from small-scale galaxy clustering
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Gunawardhana M
(2020)
Stellar populations and physical properties of starbursts in the antennae galaxy from self-consistent modelling of MUSE spectra
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
Gurung-López S
(2021)
Determining the systemic redshift of Lyman a emitters with neural networks and improving the measured large-scale clustering
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
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
Gómez J
(2022)
Halo merger tree comparison: impact on galaxy formation models
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Gómez J
(2021)
Halo Merger Tree Comparison: Impact on Galaxy Formation Models
Habouzit M
(2021)
Supermassive black holes in cosmological simulations I: M BH - M ? relation and black hole mass function
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Hadzhiyska B
(2023)
The MillenniumTNG Project: an improved two-halo model for the galaxy-halo connection of red and blue galaxies
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Hadzhiyska B
(2023)
The MillenniumTNG Project: refining the one-halo model of red and blue galaxies at different redshifts
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Hafen Z
(2024)
The Halo21 absorption modelling challenge: lessons from 'observing' synthetic circumgalactic absorption spectra
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Hafen Z
(2024)
The Halo21 absorption modelling challenge: lessons from 'observing' synthetic circumgalactic absorption spectra
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
Hagen S
(2024)
What drives the variability in AGN? Explaining the UV-Xray disconnect through propagating fluctuations
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Halim S
(2024)
Assessing the survival of carbonaceous chondrites impacting the lunar surface as a potential resource
in Planetary and Space Science
Halim S
(2021)
Assessing the survivability of biomarkers within terrestrial material impacting the lunar surface
in Icarus
Hamilton E
(2023)
Ringdown frequencies in black holes formed from precessing black-hole binaries
in Physical Review D
Hamilton E
(2024)
Catalog of precessing black-hole-binary numerical-relativity simulations
in Physical Review D
Hamilton E
(2021)
Model of gravitational waves from precessing black-hole binaries through merger and ringdown
in Physical Review D
Hamilton, Eleanor
(2021)
Model of gravitational waves from precessing black-hole binaries through merger and ringdown
Harnois-Déraps J
(2022)
MGLenS: Modified gravity weak lensing simulations for emulation-based cosmological inference
Harnois-Déraps J
(2023)
mglens : Modified gravity weak lensing simulations for emulation-based cosmological inference
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Hassan S
(2022)
Reionization with Simba: How Much Does Astrophysics Matter in Modeling Cosmic Reionization?
in The Astrophysical Journal
| Description | See Dirac annual report https://dirac.ac.uk |
| Exploitation Route | See Dirac annual report https://dirac.ac.uk |
| Sectors | Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software) Education |
| URL | https://dirac.ac.uk |