National Center for Computational Sciences

Jaguar makes mark on ASCR document

A recently released document showcasing 10 scientific computing milestones includes five projects conducted at the National Center for Computational Sciences (NCCS) at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). The document, Breakthroughs 2008, chronicles major advances in simulation over the past 18 months under the auspices of the Department of Energy’s (DOE’s) Office of Advanced Scientific Computing Research (ASCR).

Among the praised ORNL-based research were one of the largest simulations ever produced of plasma confinement in a fusion reactor, which will potentially pave the way for energy production that emits no carbon dioxide into the atmosphere; a billion-particle simulation of the dark matter halo of the Milky Way galaxy, in which researchers performed the largest simulation to date of the dark matter cloud holding our galaxy together; and combustion simulations that dissected how flames stabilize, extinguish, and reunite, possibly leading to cleaner, more efficient diesel-engine designs. The ORNL accomplishments, which represent half of the total list, took place on the laboratory’s Cray XT4 known as Jaguar.

The list of breakthroughs was compiled by a distinguished panel of computational scientists, applied mathematicians, and computer scientists made up of representatives from ASCR–associated labs (including Oak Ridge) and participating universities. Each of the cited accomplishments was supported in a broad sense by ASCR through the Innovative and Novel Computational Impact on Theory and Experiment (INCITE) program, the Scientific Discovery through Advanced Computing (SciDAC) program, and/or its base program. The report can be viewed at http://www.nccs.gov/wp-content/media/nccs_reports/
Breakthroughs_2008.pdf.