DiRAC 2.5 Operations 2017-2020
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 DiRAC-2.5 project builds on the success of the DiRAC HPC facility and will provide the resources needed
to support cutting edge research during 2017 in all areas of science supported by STFC.
In addition to the existing DiRAC-2 services, from April 2017 DiRAC-2.5 will provide:
1) A factor 2 increase in the computational power of the DiRAC supercomputer at the University of Durham, which is designed for simulations requiring large amounts of computer memory. The enhanced system will be used 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.
2) A new High Performance Computer at Cambridge whose particular architecture is well suited to the theoretical
problems that we want to tackle that utilise large amounts of data, either as input or
being generated at intermediate stages of our calculations. Two key challenges
that we will tackle are those of
(i) improving our understanding of the Milky Way through analysis of new data from the European
Space Agency's GAIA satellite and
(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.
3) An additional 3500 compute cores on the DiRAC Complexity supercomputer at Leicester which will make it possible to
carry out simulations of some of the most complex physical situation in the Universe. These include:
(i) the formation of stars in clusters - for the first time it will be possible to follow the formation of stars many times more massive than the sun;
(ii) the accretion of gas onto supermassive black holes, the most efficient means of extracting energy from matter and the engine
which drives galaxy formation and evolution.
4) A team of three research software engineers who will help DiRAC researchers to ensure their scientific codes to extract
the best possible performance from the hardware components of the DiRAC clusters. These highly skilled programmers will
increase the effective computational power of the DiRAC facility during 2017.
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 DiRAC-2.5 project builds on the success of the DiRAC HPC facility and will provide the resources needed
to support cutting edge research during 2017 in all areas of science supported by STFC.
In addition to the existing DiRAC-2 services, from April 2017 DiRAC-2.5 will provide:
1) A factor 2 increase in the computational power of the DiRAC supercomputer at the University of Durham, which is designed for simulations requiring large amounts of computer memory. The enhanced system will be used 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.
2) A new High Performance Computer at Cambridge whose particular architecture is well suited to the theoretical
problems that we want to tackle that utilise large amounts of data, either as input or
being generated at intermediate stages of our calculations. Two key challenges
that we will tackle are those of
(i) improving our understanding of the Milky Way through analysis of new data from the European
Space Agency's GAIA satellite and
(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.
3) An additional 3500 compute cores on the DiRAC Complexity supercomputer at Leicester which will make it possible to
carry out simulations of some of the most complex physical situation in the Universe. These include:
(i) the formation of stars in clusters - for the first time it will be possible to follow the formation of stars many times more massive than the sun;
(ii) the accretion of gas onto supermassive black holes, the most efficient means of extracting energy from matter and the engine
which drives galaxy formation and evolution.
4) A team of three research software engineers who will help DiRAC researchers to ensure their scientific codes to extract
the best possible performance from the hardware components of the DiRAC clusters. These highly skilled programmers will
increase the effective computational power of the DiRAC facility during 2017.
Planned Impact
The expected impact of the DiRAC 2.5 HPC facility is fully described in the attached pathways to impact document and includes:
1) Disseminating best practice in High Performance Computing software engineering throughout the theoretical Particle Physics, Astronomy and Nuclear physics communities in the UK as well as to industry partners.
2) Working on co-design projects with industry partners to improve future generations of hardware and software.
3) Development of new techniques in the area of High Performance Data Analytics which will benefit industry partners and researchers in other fields such as biomedicine, biology, engineering, economics and social science, and the natural environment who can use this new technology to improve research outcomes in their areas.
4) Share best practice on the design and operation of distributed HPC facilities with UK National e-Infrastructure partners.
5) Training of the next generation of research scientists of physical scientists to tackle problems effectively on state-of-the-art of High Performance Computing facilities. Such skills are much in demand from high-tech industry.
6) Engagement with the general public to promote interest in science, and to explain how our ability to solve complex problems using the latest computer technology leads to new scientific capabilities/insights. Engagement of this kind also naturally encourages the uptake of STEM subjects in schools.
1) Disseminating best practice in High Performance Computing software engineering throughout the theoretical Particle Physics, Astronomy and Nuclear physics communities in the UK as well as to industry partners.
2) Working on co-design projects with industry partners to improve future generations of hardware and software.
3) Development of new techniques in the area of High Performance Data Analytics which will benefit industry partners and researchers in other fields such as biomedicine, biology, engineering, economics and social science, and the natural environment who can use this new technology to improve research outcomes in their areas.
4) Share best practice on the design and operation of distributed HPC facilities with UK National e-Infrastructure partners.
5) Training of the next generation of research scientists of physical scientists to tackle problems effectively on state-of-the-art of High Performance Computing facilities. Such skills are much in demand from high-tech industry.
6) Engagement with the general public to promote interest in science, and to explain how our ability to solve complex problems using the latest computer technology leads to new scientific capabilities/insights. Engagement of this kind also naturally encourages the uptake of STEM subjects in schools.
Organisations
Publications
Astoul A
(2022)
The effects of non-linearities on tidal flows in the convective envelopes of rotating stars and planets in exoplanetary systems
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Attanasio F
(2022)
Equation of state from complex Langevin simulations
in EPJ Web of Conferences
Attanasio F
(2020)
Complex Langevin simulations and the QCD phase diagram: recent developments
in The European Physical Journal A
Aumann T
(2021)
Quenching of single-particle strength from direct reactions with stable and rare-isotope beams
in Progress in Particle and Nuclear Physics
Aurrekoetxea J
(2022)
Where is the ringdown: Reconstructing quasinormal modes from dispersive waves
in Physical Review D
Aurrekoetxea J
(2023)
Oscillon formation during inflationary preheating with general relativity
in Physical Review D
Aurrekoetxea J
(2020)
The effects of potential shape on inhomogeneous inflation
in Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics
Aurrekoetxea J
(2020)
Coherent gravitational waveforms and memory from cosmic string loops
in Classical and Quantum Gravity
Aurrekoetxea J
(2023)
Oscillon formation during inflationary preheating with general relativity
Aviles A
(2020)
Marked correlation functions in perturbation theory
in Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics
Baek G
(2020)
Radiative Transfer Modeling of EC 53: An Episodically Accreting Class I Young Stellar Object
in The Astrophysical Journal
Bahé Y
(2022)
The importance of black hole repositioning for galaxy formation simulations
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Bahé Y
(2021)
Strongly lensed cluster substructures are not in tension with ?CDM
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Ballabio G
(2023)
[O i ] 6300 Å emission as a probe of external photoevaporation of protoplanetary discs
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Ballabio G
(2021)
HD 143006: circumbinary planet or misaligned disc?
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Bamber J
(2021)
Quasinormal modes of growing dirty black holes
in Physical Review D
Bamber J
(2022)
Black hole merger simulations in wave dark matter environments
Bamber J
(2023)
Black hole merger simulations in wave dark matter environments
in Physical Review D
Bandopadhyay A
(2024)
The Peak of the Fallback Rate from Tidal Disruption Events: Dependence on Stellar Type
in The Astrophysical Journal Letters
Baraffe I
(2022)
Local heating due to convective overshooting and the solar modelling problem
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Baraffe I
(2021)
Two-dimensional simulations of solar-like models with artificially enhanced luminosity I. Impact on convective penetration
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Baraffe I
(2023)
A study of convective core overshooting as a function of stellar mass based on two-dimensional hydrodynamical simulations
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Barausse E
(2020)
Prospects for fundamental physics with LISA
in General Relativity and Gravitation
Barber C
(2019)
Calibrated, cosmological hydrodynamical simulations with variable IMFs III: spatially resolved properties and evolution
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Barbieri C
(2019)
Lepton scattering from Ar 40 and Ti 48 in the quasielastic peak region
in Physical Review C
Barker A
(2019)
Angular momentum transport by the GSF instability: non-linear simulations at the equator
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Barnes D
(2021)
Characterizing hydrostatic mass bias with mock-X
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Barrera M
(2023)
The MillenniumTNG Project: semi-analytic galaxy formation models on the past lightcone
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Barrera-Hinojosa C
(2021)
Vector modes in ?CDM: the gravitomagnetic potential in dark matter haloes from relativistic N -body simulations
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Barrera-Hinojosa C
(2020)
GRAMSES: a new route to general relativistic N -body simulations in cosmology. Part I. Methodology and code description
in Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics
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
Barrera-Hinojosa C
(2020)
GRAMSES: a new route to general relativistic N -body simulations in cosmology. Part II. Initial conditions
in Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics
Bartlett D
(2021)
Calibrating galaxy formation effects in galactic tests of fundamental physics
in Physical Review D
Bartlett D
(2021)
Spatially offset black holes in the Horizon-AGN simulation and comparison to observations
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Bartlett D
(2021)
Constraints on Galileons from the positions of supermassive black holes
in Physical Review D
Bastian N
(2020)
The globular cluster system mass-halo mass relation in the E-MOSAICS simulations
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Bate M
(2018)
On the diversity and statistical properties of protostellar discs
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Bate M
(2019)
The statistical properties of stars and their dependence on metallicity
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Bate M
(2020)
Photoionizing feedback in spiral arm molecular clouds
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Batelaan M
(2023)
Feynman-Hellmann approach to transition matrix elements and quasidegenerate energy states
in Physical Review D
Batelaan M
(2023)
Moments and power corrections of longitudinal and transverse proton structure functions from lattice QCD
in Physical Review D
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
Description | Many new discoveries about the formation and evolution of galaxies, star formation and planet formation have been made possible by this award. |
Exploitation Route | Many international collaborative projects are supported by the HPC resources provided by DiRAC. |
Sectors | Aerospace, Defence and Marine,Creative Economy,Digital/Communication/Information Technologies (including Software),Education,Healthcare,Transport |
URL | http://www.dirac.ac.uk |