Highlight:

NERSC Played Key Role in Nobel Discovery

In the 1990s, Saul Perlmutter discovered that the universe is expanding at an accelerating rate. He confirmed his observational conclusions by running thousands of simulations at NERSC. As a result, Perlmutter was awarded the 2011 Nobel Prize in Physics.

His research team is believed to have been the first to use supercomputers to analyze and validate observational data in cosmology. This melding of computational science and cosmology sowed the seeds for more projects, establishing Berkeley Lab and NERSC as centers for the emerging field. More>

Top Stories:

Supercomputers Accelerate Development
of Advanced Materials

New materials are crucial to building a clean energy economy—for everything from batteries to photovoltaics to lighter weight vehicles. But today the development cycle is around 18 years from conception to commercialization. To speed up this process, researchers from DOE’s Berkeley Lab and MIT teamed up to develop a Google-like search engine for materials research. Called the Materials Project, the search engine is hosted on NERSC's Science Gateway infrastructure. More>

ESnet, Internet2 Complete 100G Networking Path

In October, two of the nation's leading research networks—DOE's Energy Sciences Network (ESnet) and Internet2— completed the world's first transcontinental deployment of a 100 Gbps network technology. Connections are now operational between New York, Washington D.C., Cleveland, Chicago, Kansas City, Denver, Salt Lake Cit, and Sunnyvale creating a coast to coast path of nearly 4,000 miles. More>

Experimental Mathematics

In an article called "Exploratory Experimentation and Computation," appearing in the November 2011 issue of the Notices of the American Mathematical Society, Berkeley Lab's Chief Technologist David H. Bailey and his colleague Jonathan M. Borwein describe how modern computer technology has vastly expanded our ability to discover new mathematical results. More>

Across the Cosmos, a Gang of Supernovae Reveals a Cosmic Secret

An international team of astronomers, including the Computational Research Division's Dovi Poznanski, has exposed the largest sample of distant supernovae ever found. Located about 10 billion light years away from Earth, the 150 events reveal that a particular breed of cosmic explosions, called Type 1a supernovae, occurred five times more frequently when the universe was young than they do today. More>

NewsBytes:

Berkeley Lab's Computational Research Division Announces Reorganization

CRD director David Brown announced a reorganization of the division on Oct. 12. The reorganization is aimed at balancing the size and research areas of the departments within CRD. In conjunction with the reorganization, Brown and associate lab director for Computing Sciences Kathy Yelick announced the designation of four department heads as the primary points of contact for program managers in DOE's Office of Advanced Scientific Computing Research (ASCR). More>

Two ESnet Projects Are Honored With Internet2 IDEA Awards

Two of ESnet’s projects, OSCARS and MAVEN, have received IDEA (Internet2 Driving Exemplary Applications) awards. Internet2’s 2011 annual competition recognizes innovative network applications that have the most positive impact and potential for adoption within the research and education community. Learn more in Network Matters and the Internet2 press release.

Public-Private Collaborative Demo Leveraged New ESnet Advanced Networking Initiative Testbed

Researchers at the Department of Energy’s ESnet, Orange Silicon Valley and Bay Microsystems collaborated to showcase the world’s first 40 Gbps (gigabits per second) wide area network demonstration of RDMA over InfiniBand. While RDMA over InfiniBand is not a new concept, this experiment marks the first time that it has been demonstrated at 40 Gbps data rates over long-haul distances, in this case approximately 200 miles. More>

Berkeley Lab's Open House Draws 4,500 Visitors

CRD postdoc Chaopeng Shen (left) explains carbon sequestration to a future scientist.

On October 15, more than 4,500 people passed through Blackberry Gate for the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory's second annual Open House. This year's event, called “Cirque des Sciences,” included a three-ring circus under the Big Top, surrounded by nearly an acre of exciting exhibits.

As part of the event, Berkeley Lab Computing Sciences hosted an exhibit called "Believe It or Not: The Supercomputing Odditorium," which featured science too big, too small or too dangerous for the laboratory. Here, spectators learned how researchers use supercomputers to design tabletop accelerators, understand extreme climate, and devise strategies for storing carbon in rocks and environmental remediation. They also saw a prototype of an uber energy-efficient supercomputer made of smart-phone chips, as well as the fastest science network on Earth.

Meanwhile, in the other auditorium, audience members were treated to lectures from a number of Berkeley Lab Computing Sciences researchers including: Peter Nugent, who talked about discovering the youngest,closest supernova in 25 years; Kathy Yelick, who talked about saving the world with computing; and Mr. Prabhat, who gave an introduction to scientific visualization. Prabhat also spent most of the day under the big top, showing amazed attendees three-dimensional visualizations of supernova explosions and galaxy formations.

In the News:

Scientific Computing: Leading ESnet to the Next Level of Innovation

Scientific Computing’s HPC Innovator Series recently published an interview with ESnet Department Head Steve Cotter titled "Leading ESnet to the Next Level of Innovation." Among other topics, Cotter discusses the need for more energy-efficient networking.

“In aggregate, a lot of energy is being used by networks, but no one is really looking at that,” Cotter said. “This is a field in which we can have a real impact and kickstart a new way of thinking…. Although we are a Department of Energy facility, I’d like us to become the Department of Less Energy.” More>

GCN: DOE Completes First Cross-Country 100-Gigabit Network

The Energy Department’s Energy Sciences Network and the Internet2 academic research consortium have completed the first transcontinental 100-gigabits/sec network using coherent modulation technology. The prototype network is being built with a $62 million grant under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and is part of DOE’s Advanced Networking Initiative to develop a next-generation science and research infrastructure. ESnet and Internet2 will share capacity on the network, which initially will link DOE supercomputing centers at the Lawrence Berkeley, Argonne and Oak Ridge national laboratories. More>

Microsoft Research and Cray Websites Highlight CRD and NERSC Research

Microsoft Research recently posted three science stories involving collaborations with the Computational Research Division’s (CRD’s) Advanced Computing for Science Department (ACS) and the Berkeley Water Center (BWC):

The ACS team involved in the work includes Deb Agarwal, Monte Goode, Keith Jackson, and Gary Kushner. They collaborated closely with BWC personnel, University of Virginia researchers, and Catharine van Ingen of Microsoft Research on these projects.

The Cray Inc. home page now features links to three case studies about research conducted using NERSC’s Cray systems:

Find out where Berkeley Lab Computing Sciences stories have been mentioned in the news.

Read more issues of Computing Sciences News. Receive weekly updates from the Berkeley Lab Computing Sciences Communications team on Facebook and Twitter. Please contact Linda Vu, to subscribe to the monthly Berkeley Lab Computing Sciences Newsletter.