The world’s most powerful computer hunts the dark secrets of the universe

Scientists have unleashed the world’s fastest supercomputer to solve some of the universe’s deepest mysteries. Arrora National Laboratory’s Aurora supercomputer performs hundreds of millions of dollars of calculations per second and is now exploring the murky realm of dark matter and dark energy that accounts for 95 percent of our universe.

These invisible forces have puzzled researchers for decades. While regular matter – the stuff that makes up stars, planets and everything we can see – makes up only 5% of the universe, dark matter makes up 27% and dark energy a whopping 68%. Understanding these hidden components could revolutionize our understanding of how the universe works.

“The nature of dark matter and dark energy is unclear,” said Salman Habib, Argonne Distinguished Fellow and director of the Division of Computational Sciences. “We know these two exist, but we don’t understand what they are or the fundamental principles underlying their existence.”

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The Dark Sky Mining Project combines actual astronomical observations with extensive computer simulations to create detailed maps of the universe. Researchers will use Aurora’s unprecedented computing power along with artificial intelligence to simulate countless scenarios to compare these virtual universes with real observations.

This computational approach marks a new chapter in humanity’s long relationship with the universe. “Fundamentally, what we’re doing now is just an extension of humanity’s long history with stars, galaxies and everything else,” Habib explained. “The ability to reach deep into the universe is astounding because it also tells us a lot about our place in the larger scheme of things.”

The quest to understand dark matter dates back to the 1930s, when Swiss astronomer Fritz Zwicky noticed something strange about the Milky Way galaxy – they were bound together despite seemingly lacking enough visible mass to generate the required gravitational pull. This led to the idea of ​​invisible “dark matter” providing additional gravitational glue.

Dark energy becomes an even more puzzling puzzle when astronomers discover that the universe is not only expanding, but accelerating in its expansion. This mysterious force appears to be a form of anti-gravity, pushing galaxies apart with such intensity that they push them across great distances.

Aurora’s Exascale computing capabilities, coupled with advanced AI technology, enable researchers to explore these phenomena more efficiently than ever before. Supercomputers can quickly simulate thousands of different scenarios, adjusting the properties of dark matter and dark energy until the results match actual observations of the universe.

A powerful new approach uses machine learning to dramatically reduce the number of simulations required. “So the key is, we can make the process more efficient,” Habib points out. This efficiency is crucial when modeling cosmic boundary-crossing phenomena, such as the expansion of the universe.

The project aims not only to elucidate the nature of dark matter and dark energy, but also to prepare the ground for a new generation of powerful telescopes that will penetrate the universe deeper than ever before. The research could help solve other fundamental physics puzzles, including the mysterious properties of neutrinos – ghost particles that interact with regular matter.

In addition to specific scientific goals, this marriage of cutting-edge computing and cosmology points to exciting technological innovations. As we push the boundaries of computing power in our pursuit of understanding the darkest secrets of the universe, we are likely to discover unexpected applications that benefit society in ways we could never have imagined.