The FLAMINGO project laid out one of the largest sets of cosmological simulations to researchers around the world to study the growth of galaxies and the structure of the cosmos.
Astrophysicists have put into open access a digital model of the Universe of this size that only a dataset occupies more than 2.5 petabytes. For comparison, about the same number of places would require about half a million films in HD quality. An international team of researchers leading the University of Leiden in the Netherlands has presented one of the largest sets of cosmological simulations in the history of modern astronomy.
A new dataset is part of the FLAMINGO project. Scientists use such simulations to trace how matter changed after the Big Bang: from tiny heterogeneities of density to galaxies, clusters and giant structures of the space web. On the largest scale, matter in the universe is collected in the threads and nodes along which galaxies are distributed. Comparison of calculations with observations helps to check models of dark matter and dark energy, two invisible components that make up the majority of the universe and are associated with the accelerated expansion of the cosmos.
FLAMINGO was created as a bridge between two approaches. Some simulations describe in detail the birth and life of individual galaxies, others cover the huge volumes of space needed for accurate cosmology. The new project is trying to combine both levels. The related project COLIBRE, which is also led by researchers from Leiden, focuses on physics within individual galaxies, and FLAMINGO models areas the size of billions of light-years. Due to this scale, scientists can study not only galaxies, but also clusters of galaxies, the distribution of matter and the large structure of the universe.
The project manager, Yop Shayé of the University of Leiden, explained that simulations allow you to track the growth of space structures in huge areas of space and at the same time take into account the complex physics of galaxy formation. Open data publication, according to the team, will give researchers around the world the opportunity to test new ideas about the work of the Universe without the need to re-produce colossal calculations.
The calculations were made using the SWIFT cosmological code on the British supercomputer COSMA8. For simulations of this level, computing resources are needed, which most scientific groups are not available. Professor Carlos Frenk from Durham University stressed that this is why the team decided to open the data to other researchers.
To make the petaby archive not turn into an almost useless mountain of files, the developers have created a separate online platform. Through the interface, scientists can search for the necessary fragments and download only suitable parts of the simulation, and not carry the entire array. The system was developed by a group led by John Helly of the University of Durham. This approach reduces the entry threshold and gives access to data not only to the largest centers with powerful infrastructure.
Simulations FLAMINGO appeared in 2023 and have already formed the basis of dozens of studies, including work on the formation of galaxies and the distribution of matter in the universe. A full open release should expand the range of such projects. The team expects that the new dataset will become a common scientific basis for astrophysicists and will help to quickly test hypotheses about the origin and development of the cosmos.
Astrophysicists have put into open access a digital model of the Universe of this size that only a dataset occupies more than 2.5 petabytes. For comparison, about the same number of places would require about half a million films in HD quality. An international team of researchers leading the University of Leiden in the Netherlands has presented one of the largest sets of cosmological simulations in the history of modern astronomy.
A new dataset is part of the FLAMINGO project. Scientists use such simulations to trace how matter changed after the Big Bang: from tiny heterogeneities of density to galaxies, clusters and giant structures of the space web. On the largest scale, matter in the universe is collected in the threads and nodes along which galaxies are distributed. Comparison of calculations with observations helps to check models of dark matter and dark energy, two invisible components that make up the majority of the universe and are associated with the accelerated expansion of the cosmos.
FLAMINGO was created as a bridge between two approaches. Some simulations describe in detail the birth and life of individual galaxies, others cover the huge volumes of space needed for accurate cosmology. The new project is trying to combine both levels. The related project COLIBRE, which is also led by researchers from Leiden, focuses on physics within individual galaxies, and FLAMINGO models areas the size of billions of light-years. Due to this scale, scientists can study not only galaxies, but also clusters of galaxies, the distribution of matter and the large structure of the universe.
The project manager, Yop Shayé of the University of Leiden, explained that simulations allow you to track the growth of space structures in huge areas of space and at the same time take into account the complex physics of galaxy formation. Open data publication, according to the team, will give researchers around the world the opportunity to test new ideas about the work of the Universe without the need to re-produce colossal calculations.
The calculations were made using the SWIFT cosmological code on the British supercomputer COSMA8. For simulations of this level, computing resources are needed, which most scientific groups are not available. Professor Carlos Frenk from Durham University stressed that this is why the team decided to open the data to other researchers.
To make the petaby archive not turn into an almost useless mountain of files, the developers have created a separate online platform. Through the interface, scientists can search for the necessary fragments and download only suitable parts of the simulation, and not carry the entire array. The system was developed by a group led by John Helly of the University of Durham. This approach reduces the entry threshold and gives access to data not only to the largest centers with powerful infrastructure.
Simulations FLAMINGO appeared in 2023 and have already formed the basis of dozens of studies, including work on the formation of galaxies and the distribution of matter in the universe. A full open release should expand the range of such projects. The team expects that the new dataset will become a common scientific basis for astrophysicists and will help to quickly test hypotheses about the origin and development of the cosmos.
