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
Constantino T
(2021)
Suppression of lithium depletion in young low-mass stars from fast rotation
in Astronomy & Astrophysics
Cooke R
(2018)
Measurement of the primordial helium abundance from the intergalactic medium
in Nature Astronomy
Cooke R
(2018)
One Percent Determination of the Primordial Deuterium Abundance*
in The Astrophysical Journal
Cooper L
(2022)
Form factors for the processes B c + ? D 0 l + ? l and B c + ? D s + l + l - ( ? ? ¯ ) from lattice QCD
in Physical Review D
Corasaniti P
(2022)
Forecasting cosmological parameter constraints using multiple sparsity measurements as tracers of the mass profiles of dark matter haloes
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Correa C
(2018)
The impact of feedback and the hot halo on the rates of gas accretion on to galaxies
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Correa C
(2019)
The origin of the red-sequence galaxy population in the EAGLE simulation
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Cossu G
(2021)
Nonperturbative Infrared Finiteness in a Superrenormalizable Scalar Quantum Field Theory.
in Physical review letters
Costa T
(2018)
Quenching star formation with quasar outflows launched by trapped IR radiation
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Coulton W
(2020)
Weak lensing minima and peaks: Cosmological constraints and the impact of baryons
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Cowell J
(2023)
Potential signature of a quadrupolar hubble expansion in Pantheon+supernovae
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Cowley W
(2019)
The evolution of the UV-to-mm extragalactic background light: evidence for a top-heavy initial mass function?
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Cristini A
(2019)
Dependence of convective boundary mixing on boundary properties and turbulence strength
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Cuesta-Lazaro C
(2020)
Towards a non-Gaussian model of redshift space distortions
Cuesta-Lazaro C
(2023)
Galaxy clustering from the bottom up: a streaming model emulator I
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Cuesta-Lazaro C
(2020)
Towards a non-Gaussian model of redshift space distortions
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Cuesta-Lazaro C
(2022)
Galaxy clustering from the bottom up: A Streaming Model emulator I
Cui W
(2021)
The origin of galaxy colour bimodality in the scatter of the stellar-to-halo mass relation
in Nature Astronomy
Czakon M
(2021)
NNLO QCD predictions for W+c-jet production at the LHC
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Czakon M
(2021)
B-hadron production in NNLO QCD: application to LHC t$$ \overline{t} $$ events with leptonic decays
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Czakon M
(2021)
NNLO QCD corrections to leptonic observables in top-quark pair production and decay
in Journal of High Energy Physics
Czakon M
(2021)
Next-to-Next-to-Leading Order Study of Three-Jet Production at the LHC.
in Physical review letters
D'Silva J
(2023)
Unveiling the main sequence of galaxies at z = 5 with the JWST : predictions from simulations
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Dai Z
(2024)
Physics-informed neural networks in the recreation of hydrodynamic simulations from dark matter
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Davies C
(2019)
The self similarity of weak lensing peaks
Davies C
(2019)
Cosmological test of gravity using weak lensing voids
Davies C
(2022)
Cosmological forecasts with the clustering of weak lensing peaks
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Davies C
(2019)
Cosmological test of gravity using weak lensing voids
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Davies C
(2020)
Constraining cosmology with weak lensing voids
Davies C
(2018)
Weak lensing by voids in weak lensing maps
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society: Letters
Davies C
(2019)
The self-similarity of weak lensing peaks
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Davies C
(2021)
Constraining cosmology with weak lensing voids
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Davies C
(2021)
Cosmological forecasts with the clustering of weak lensing peaks
Davis T
(2019)
Evolution of the cold gas properties of simulated post-starburst galaxies
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Davé R
(2020)
Galaxy cold gas contents in modern cosmological hydrodynamic simulations
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Davé R
(2019)
simba: Cosmological simulations with black hole growth and feedback
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
De Jong E
(2023)
Spinning primordial black holes formed during a matter-dominated era
De Jong E
(2023)
Spinning primordial black holes formed during a matter-dominated era
in Journal of Cosmology and Astroparticle Physics
De Pontieu B
(2022)
Probing the Physics of the Solar Atmosphere with the Multi-slit Solar Explorer (MUSE). I. Coronal Heating
in The Astrophysical Journal
Deakin T
(2021)
Analyzing Reduction Abstraction Capabilities
Deason A
(2022)
Dwarf stellar haloes: a powerful probe of small-scale galaxy formation and the nature of dark matter
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Deason A
(2021)
Stellar splashback: the edge of the intracluster light
in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
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 |