Argonne supercomputer powers NASA's cosmic simulations

(Image by Argonne National Laboratory)

Researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory in Illinois have utilised the Theta supercomputer to create nearly four million simulated images of the cosmos.

These images will provide valuable insights for NASA’s Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope and the Vera C. Rubin Observatory in Chile, both of which are funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and DOE.

Katrin Heitmann, a cosmologist and deputy director of Argonne’s High Energy Physics division, stated:

“Using Argonne’s now-retired Theta machine, we accomplished in about nine days what would have taken around 300 years on your laptop. The results will shape Roman and Rubin’s future attempts to illuminate dark matter and dark energy while offering other scientists a preview of the types of things they’ll be able to explore using data from the telescopes.”

A 10-terabyte subset of the simulation data will be released first, with the remaining 390 terabytes expected to be processed and made available this autumn. This simulation, incorporating the telescopes’ instrument performance for the first time, provides the most accurate preview yet of the cosmos as observed by Roman and Rubin. The Rubin Observatory will begin operations in 2025, and the Roman Space Telescope is set to launch by May 2027.

The precision of these simulations is crucial for scientists who will analyse the observatories’ future data for minute features that can unravel major cosmological mysteries. Both Roman and Rubin are set to explore dark energy, a force believed to be accelerating the expansion of the universe. Understanding dark energy is a key goal, and simulations like OpenUniverse help scientists recognise the signatures that each instrument imprints on images, refining data processing methods for accurate future data interpretation.

The team’s use of Argonne’s Theta supercomputer represents a significant step forward in preparing for the observations by Roman and Rubin. These simulations allow researchers to iron out data processing methods now, ensuring they can correctly interpret data and make significant discoveries even from weak signals.

The project required the combined efforts of a large and skilled team from various organisations.

Alina Kiessling, a research scientist at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) in Southern California and the principal investigator of OpenUniverse, highlighted the collaboration’s importance:

“Few people in the world are skilled enough to run these simulations. ​This massive undertaking was only possible thanks to the collaboration between the DOE, Argonne, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory and NASA, which pulled all the right resources and experts together.”