54,682 research outputs found
A multiphysics and multiscale software environment for modeling astrophysical systems
We present MUSE, a software framework for combining existing computational
tools for different astrophysical domains into a single multiphysics,
multiscale application. MUSE facilitates the coupling of existing codes written
in different languages by providing inter-language tools and by specifying an
interface between each module and the framework that represents a balance
between generality and computational efficiency. This approach allows
scientists to use combinations of codes to solve highly-coupled problems
without the need to write new codes for other domains or significantly alter
their existing codes. MUSE currently incorporates the domains of stellar
dynamics, stellar evolution and stellar hydrodynamics for studying generalized
stellar systems. We have now reached a "Noah's Ark" milestone, with (at least)
two available numerical solvers for each domain. MUSE can treat multi-scale and
multi-physics systems in which the time- and size-scales are well separated,
like simulating the evolution of planetary systems, small stellar associations,
dense stellar clusters, galaxies and galactic nuclei.
In this paper we describe three examples calculated using MUSE: the merger of
two galaxies, the merger of two evolving stars, and a hybrid N-body simulation.
In addition, we demonstrate an implementation of MUSE on a distributed computer
which may also include special-purpose hardware, such as GRAPEs or GPUs, to
accelerate computations. The current MUSE code base is publicly available as
open source at http://muse.liComment: 24 pages, To appear in New Astronomy Source code available at
http://muse.l
ASCR/HEP Exascale Requirements Review Report
This draft report summarizes and details the findings, results, and
recommendations derived from the ASCR/HEP Exascale Requirements Review meeting
held in June, 2015. The main conclusions are as follows. 1) Larger, more
capable computing and data facilities are needed to support HEP science goals
in all three frontiers: Energy, Intensity, and Cosmic. The expected scale of
the demand at the 2025 timescale is at least two orders of magnitude -- and in
some cases greater -- than that available currently. 2) The growth rate of data
produced by simulations is overwhelming the current ability, of both facilities
and researchers, to store and analyze it. Additional resources and new
techniques for data analysis are urgently needed. 3) Data rates and volumes
from HEP experimental facilities are also straining the ability to store and
analyze large and complex data volumes. Appropriately configured
leadership-class facilities can play a transformational role in enabling
scientific discovery from these datasets. 4) A close integration of HPC
simulation and data analysis will aid greatly in interpreting results from HEP
experiments. Such an integration will minimize data movement and facilitate
interdependent workflows. 5) Long-range planning between HEP and ASCR will be
required to meet HEP's research needs. To best use ASCR HPC resources the
experimental HEP program needs a) an established long-term plan for access to
ASCR computational and data resources, b) an ability to map workflows onto HPC
resources, c) the ability for ASCR facilities to accommodate workflows run by
collaborations that can have thousands of individual members, d) to transition
codes to the next-generation HPC platforms that will be available at ASCR
facilities, e) to build up and train a workforce capable of developing and
using simulations and analysis to support HEP scientific research on
next-generation systems.Comment: 77 pages, 13 Figures; draft report, subject to further revisio
Distributed N-body Simulation on the Grid Using Dedicated Hardware
We present performance measurements of direct gravitational N -body
simulation on the grid, with and without specialized (GRAPE-6) hardware. Our
inter-continental virtual organization consists of three sites, one in Tokyo,
one in Philadelphia and one in Amsterdam. We run simulations with up to 196608
particles for a variety of topologies. In many cases, high performance
simulations over the entire planet are dominated by network bandwidth rather
than latency. With this global grid of GRAPEs our calculation time remains
dominated by communication over the entire range of N, which was limited due to
the use of three sites. Increasing the number of particles will result in a
more efficient execution. Based on these timings we construct and calibrate a
model to predict the performance of our simulation on any grid infrastructure
with or without GRAPE. We apply this model to predict the simulation
performance on the Netherlands DAS-3 wide area computer. Equipping the DAS-3
with GRAPE-6Af hardware would achieve break-even between calculation and
communication at a few million particles, resulting in a compute time of just
over ten hours for 1 N -body time unit. Key words: high-performance computing,
grid, N-body simulation, performance modellingComment: (in press) New Astronomy, 24 pages, 5 figure
Performance analysis of direct N-body algorithms for astrophysical simulations on distributed systems
We discuss the performance of direct summation codes used in the simulation
of astrophysical stellar systems on highly distributed architectures. These
codes compute the gravitational interaction among stars in an exact way and
have an O(N^2) scaling with the number of particles. They can be applied to a
variety of astrophysical problems, like the evolution of star clusters, the
dynamics of black holes, the formation of planetary systems, and cosmological
simulations. The simulation of realistic star clusters with sufficiently high
accuracy cannot be performed on a single workstation but may be possible on
parallel computers or grids. We have implemented two parallel schemes for a
direct N-body code and we study their performance on general purpose parallel
computers and large computational grids. We present the results of timing
analyzes conducted on the different architectures and compare them with the
predictions from theoretical models. We conclude that the simulation of star
clusters with up to a million particles will be possible on large distributed
computers in the next decade. Simulating entire galaxies however will in
addition require new hybrid methods to speedup the calculation.Comment: 22 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in Parallel Computin
Quantum ESPRESSO: a modular and open-source software project for quantum simulations of materials
Quantum ESPRESSO is an integrated suite of computer codes for
electronic-structure calculations and materials modeling, based on
density-functional theory, plane waves, and pseudopotentials (norm-conserving,
ultrasoft, and projector-augmented wave). Quantum ESPRESSO stands for "opEn
Source Package for Research in Electronic Structure, Simulation, and
Optimization". It is freely available to researchers around the world under the
terms of the GNU General Public License. Quantum ESPRESSO builds upon
newly-restructured electronic-structure codes that have been developed and
tested by some of the original authors of novel electronic-structure algorithms
and applied in the last twenty years by some of the leading materials modeling
groups worldwide. Innovation and efficiency are still its main focus, with
special attention paid to massively-parallel architectures, and a great effort
being devoted to user friendliness. Quantum ESPRESSO is evolving towards a
distribution of independent and inter-operable codes in the spirit of an
open-source project, where researchers active in the field of
electronic-structure calculations are encouraged to participate in the project
by contributing their own codes or by implementing their own ideas into
existing codes.Comment: 36 pages, 5 figures, resubmitted to J.Phys.: Condens. Matte
- …