The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has made a significant commitment to advancing computational science by allocating a substantial portion of its supercomputer resources for 2025. Among the 81 projects selected for this initiative is a groundbreaking study led by Drummond Fielding, an assistant professor of astronomy at Cornell University’s College of Arts and Sciences. This project, titled “Pushing the Frontier of Cosmic Ray Transport in Interstellar Turbulence,” is set to utilize 600,000 node-hours on the cutting-edge Oak Ridge Leadership Computing Facility’s Frontier supercomputer.
The Frontier supercomputer, which made its debut in May 2022, is renowned for its extraordinary capabilities, boasting a peak performance of 2 exaflops. This state-of-the-art HPE Cray EX supercomputer is equipped with nodes that each contain four GPUs, collectively housing 220 cores. This immense computational power will enable Fielding and his team to conduct some of the largest simulations of magnetized gas found in the interstellar medium.
Fielding’s research aims to address a long-standing question in astrophysics: the source of cosmic ray scattering. This phenomenon has significant implications for our understanding of galaxy formation and the growth of black holes. By simulating magnetized turbulent astrophysical plasma, the team hopes to uncover how the dissipation of plasma around galaxies influences both magnetic and density structures. These structures are critical in cosmic ray transport and the scattering of extreme background radio sources.
“We are going to run the largest simulations of the magnetized gas that pervades the space between stars, with the aim of understanding a crucial missing piece in our models for how stars and galaxies form,” Fielding stated. The findings from this research could provide valuable insights into the processes that govern the evolution of cosmic structures.
In addition to Fielding, the project includes co-investigators Philipp Kempski, Eliot Quataert, and Matthew Kunz, who bring their expertise to this ambitious endeavor. Together, they will leverage the unprecedented capabilities of exascale computing to tackle some of the most pressing unresolved questions in modern astrophysics.
The selection of Fielding’s project for the DOE’s Innovative and Novel Computational Impact on Theory and Experiment (INCITE) program underscores the importance of advanced computational resources in the field of astronomy. By providing researchers with access to high-performance computing, the DOE is facilitating groundbreaking studies that could reshape our understanding of the universe.
As the research progresses, the team anticipates that their simulations will yield a wealth of data, allowing them to analyze the intricate dynamics of cosmic ray transport and its effects on galactic structures. This project not only promises to enhance our knowledge of astrophysical phenomena but also highlights the critical role of supercomputing in advancing scientific discovery.
With the allocation of supercomputer hours by the DOE, researchers like Fielding are poised to push the boundaries of what is possible in computational astrophysics. The insights gained from this study could pave the way for future research and innovations in the field, ultimately contributing to a deeper understanding of the cosmos.
