Skip to site navigation

Astrophysics and Remote Sensing

Consortium Leader : Dr Nick Achilleos (nicholas.achilleos AT ucl.ac.uk)

Almost all members of the UCL astrophysics and atmospheric science community in the Department of Physics and Astronomy are also members of the STFC-funded Miracle Consortium. The text below outlines the research objectives of this Consortium. Information about how members of the STFC Miracle Consortium who are not members of UCL can gain access to the Legion cluster service are provided at the end of this page.

Information about other research computing enabled activity within the UCL Astrophysics and Remote Sensing consortium will be added in due course.

The main science of the Miracle Consortium is the connection between atomic to large scale physics and observable astrophysical quantities. For example two of the recent research highlights have been the development of the successful gas and dust radiative transfer code MOCASSIN (Ercolano et al., MNRAS, 340, 2003) and the creation of the largest ever water line list by Barber et al. (MNRAS, 368, 2006). The consortium focuses on the modeling astronomical environments from the upper levels of the Earth’s atmosphere, through planets, the stars and gas clouds of the galaxy, and the intra-cluster medium of galaxy clusters, to the fundamental questions of the cosmos. It collaborates closely with atomic and molecular physicists and chemists, who provide the computational data needed to model these processes. Recent highlights of research in this field include a publication in Nature “An unexpected cooling effect in Saturn's upper atmosphere” by Smith et al. (Nature, 445, 399 (2007)). These findings have been made possible with the Miracle facilities.

The research program of the Miracle Consortium is in line with four of the nine key questions given in the PPARC (STFC) roadmap: “What is the universe made of and how does it evolve?”, “How do galaxies, stars and planets form and evolve?”, “How does the Sun affect the Earth?”, and “Are we alone in the Universe?”.

Current requirements are driven by the variety of problems presently under investigation, including; the optical properties of small molecules; 3D radiative (magneto)-hydro-dynamical simulations of stellar formation, stellar structure and evolution; astrochemical simulations in 3D physical simulations, especially the polymerization of astrophysical dust particles; catalytic and optical properties of astronomical dust candidates; 3D spectral line and continuum radiative transfer; 3D simulations of planetary atmospheres and extra-solar planetary atmospheres and full hydro-dynamical simulation of the intra-cluster medium.

Projected requirements are based on a variety of future problems involving a general move to 3D and the coupling of hydrodynamics with radiative and chemical processes, with an increasing need for atomic and molecular data in both the gas and solid phase. Future problems include the following; astro-biological modeling; detailed galaxy and star formation models; detailed stellar evolution codes – a true model HR diagram; detailed galaxy evolution codes; the evolution of stars and the ISM at very high redshift; the feedback effect of molecules on the early universe; putting microphysics into Cosmic web simulations; simulating the gas in galaxy clusters and producing synthetic catalogues e.g. SDSS to test cosmological models and provide mock catalogs for future surveys, such as DES, with synthetic spectra of galaxies.

Since the core science of Miracle Consortium Members is broadly based, a versatile HPC system is required (see the Technical Case for more details). Science topics and codes to be exploited include:

  •  Modelling of terrestrial thermosphere-ionosphere and upper-lower atmosphere coupling with codes CMAT2/CTIP/UM.
  •  Modelling of planetary thermosphere-ionospheres, both solar system and extra-solar, with codes STIM/KIM/EXOTIM/MarTIM/Titan
  •  Plasma Numerical Simulations in connection with EISCAT using the PICSIM code.
  •  Monte Carlo particle transport model for auroral precipitation using DICE/RIDE.
  •  MASER pumping in OH, water and methanol using TRACER.
  •  Calculating the opacity of individual molecules for models of cool stars and other applications using codes DVR3D and XY3.
  •  Modelling of the chemistry and thermal state of species in extra-/galactic clouds/cores using UCL_PDR and SMMOL
  •  Simulating the Radiative Transfer of dust and gas emission from star formation and stellar outflows using MOCASSIN and SMMOL
  •  Simulating the gas and dark matter in clusters of galaxies and producing catalogues with GADGET/ENZO.
  •  Producing mock galaxy catalogues for simulating future surveys using GADGET and synthetic spectra.
  •  Hydro-simulations of outflows from galactic star bursts using REEFA.
  •  Hydro-dynamical simulations of radio galaxy/cluster interactions with FLASH.
  •  The structure and stability of dark matter halos with Gadget/ENZO.
  •  The feedback of active galactic nuclei to the dark matter halo with ENZO.
  •  The chemical enrichment of galaxies with ParaCelcus.
  •  Young stellar object simulation with MARCO.
  •  Evolved star simulation with CSRE.
  •  Debris disk modelling with Monte Carlo scattering code.
  •  Dust properties calculated using the Discrete Dipole Approximation code and the T-Matrix code.

Information for 'external' Consortium members

Members of the STFC Miracle Consortium who are not members of UCL are required to obtain a UCL userid credential to facilitate their use of the Legion cluster service.

The process that 'external' Consortium members should follow to gain access to the Legion service is as follows:

1. Download this form to apply for a UCL userid.

2. Send the completed and signed form to:

Clare Gryce
Manager, Research Computing Services
Information Systems
Central House
14 Upper Woburn Place
London WC1H 0NN

3. Await advice that your UCL identity (userid) has been created - please note this process may take up to three weeks

4. Using your UCL userid, complete and submit an application for an account to use the Legion service as described here.

5. Please refer any queries regarding this process to the STFC Miracle Consortium CoI Dr Nick Achilleos (nicholas.achilleos AT ucl.ac.uk) in the first instance.