Probing the Primordial Universe with Exascale Simulations

PI Nicholas Frontiere, Argonne National Laboratory
Co-PI Michael Buehlmann, Argonne National Laboratory
JD Emberson, Argonne National Laboratory
Nesar Ramachandra, Argonne National Laboratory
Frontiere INCITE 2025

Visualization of the cosmic web simulated by the HACC collaboration using trillions of particles. Image: Silvio Rizzi, ALCF Visualization and Data Analytics Team

Project Description

Cosmological simulations are expanding our understanding of the early universe. Utilizing exascale computing systems, this project will conduct large-scale simulations with state-of-the-art accuracy and depth, essential for understanding primordial physics. The campaign involves running two comprehensive cosmological simulations to generate detailed synthetic galaxy catalogs. These simulations will mirror the universe's evolution and serve as critical tools for designing, optimizing, and validating analysis strategies for upcoming cosmic surveys, including the Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI), the Rubin Observatory’s LSST, and NASA’s SPHEREx mission. These surveys are set to explore fundamental questions about the universe's origins, including the nature of primordial non-Gaussianity (PNG), non-standard neutrino physics, and the dark sector. One simulation will act as a reference model, while the other, featuring PNG, will be blinded and provided to the scientific community as a challenge dataset. This approach ensures unbiased analysis and robust validation of theoretical models. Additionally, an ensemble of 32 paired simulations will create high-precision emulators for key cosmic observables, refining our understanding of the universe's initial conditions and the intricate web of cosmic structures. Performed using the Hardware/Hybrid Accelerated Cosmology Code (HACC), these simulations are optimized for supercomputing systems, ensuring efficient and scalable performance. The resulting data will offer high-fidelity predictions of galaxy properties and provide a comprehensive foundation for future research in cosmology. This project will not only advance knowledge of the universe's early stages but also exemplify the transformative potential of exascale computing in scientific discover

Project Type
Domains
Allocations