| NSF Org: |
OAC Office of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure (OAC) |
| Recipient: |
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| Initial Amendment Date: | February 2, 2021 |
| Latest Amendment Date: | February 2, 2021 |
| Award Number: | 2114582 |
| Award Instrument: | Standard Grant |
| Program Manager: |
Varun Chandola
OAC Office of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure (OAC) CSE Directorate for Computer and Information Science and Engineering |
| Start Date: | October 1, 2020 |
| End Date: | August 31, 2024 (Estimated) |
| Total Intended Award Amount: | $414,003.00 |
| Total Awarded Amount to Date: | $414,003.00 |
| Funds Obligated to Date: |
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| History of Investigator: |
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| Recipient Sponsored Research Office: |
110 INNER CAMPUS DR AUSTIN TX US 78712-1139 (512)471-6424 |
| Sponsor Congressional District: |
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| Primary Place of Performance: |
3925 W Braker Lane Austin TX US 78759-5316 |
| Primary Place of
Performance Congressional District: |
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| Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): |
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| Parent UEI: |
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| NSF Program(s): |
WoU-Windows on the Universe: T, Software Institutes |
| Primary Program Source: |
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| Program Reference Code(s): |
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| Program Element Code(s): |
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| Award Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Fund Agency Code: | 4900 |
| Assistance Listing Number(s): | 47.070 |
ABSTRACT
A team of experts from five institutions (University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Georgia Institute of Technology, Rochester Institute of Technology, Louisiana State University, and West Virginia University) are collaborating on further development of the Einstein Toolkit, a community-driven, open-source cyberinfrastructure ecosystem providing computational tools supporting research in computational astrophysics, gravitational physics, and fundamental science. The new tools address current and future challenges in gravitational wave source modeling, improve the scalability of the code base, and support an expanded science and user community around the Einstein Toolkit.
The Einstein Toolkit is a community-driven suite of research-grade Python codes for performing astrophysics and gravitational wave calculations. The code is open-source, accessible via Conda (an open source package management system) and represents a long-term investment by NSF in providing such computational infrastructure. The software is designed to simulate compact binary stars as sources of gravitational waves. This project focuses on the sustainability of the Einstein Toolkit; specific research efforts center around the development of three new software capabilities for the toolkit:
? CarpetX -- a new mesh refinement driver and interface between AMReX, a software framework containing the functionality to write massively parallel block-structured adaptive mesh refinement (AMR) code, and Cactus, a framework for building a variety of computing applications in science and engineering;
? NRPy+ -- a user-friendly code generator based on Python; and
? Canuda -- a new physics library to probe fundamental physics.
Integration of graphics processing units (GPUs) will incorporate modern heterogeneous computing devices into the system and will enhance the capability of the toolkit. The end product is sustainable through integration into the Einstein Toolkit, yet also includes an active community maintaining and enhancing the foundational components. Broader impacts are enhanced through training, documentation and a support infrastructure that reduces the barrier to adoption by the community. The team is also creating a science portal with additional educational and showcase resources.
This award by the Office of Advanced Cyberinfrastructure is jointly supported by the National Science Foundation's Big Idea activities in Windows on the Universe (WoU).
This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.
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PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT
Disclaimer
This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.
The Einstein Toolkit is an open-source numerical relativity framework that provides complete production codes that anyone can use to model astrophysical systems governed by Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity. The Einstein Toolkit is primarily used to simulate sources of gravitational radiation (Black holes and neutron stars) to assist with the gravitational wave observations by LIGO-Virgo_Kagra.
The effort at The University of Texas at Austin focused on developing modules to enhance the capabilities of the Einstein Toolkit to consider alternatives to General Relativity. The goal was to develop new initial data and evolution modules that provide observables such as gravitational waves, recoil, and apparent horizons. The other goal of the effort was numerically simulating mixed compact object binaries (neutron star – black hole collisions) and binary black hole mergers in scalar field environments.
The Einstein Toolkit collaboration organized summer schools to allow students from institutions that do not typically offer courses in numerical relativity to learn about numerical relativity and network with fellow researchers in a welcoming, low-key environment. The collaboration has enabled the training of future scientists in various computational and scientific skills related to large-scale numerical simulations.
The Einstein Toolkit has played a valuable role in training many undergraduate students, graduate students, and postdoctoral researchers. It has formed the core of numerous undergraduate and graduate theses, Ph.D. dissertations, and published work. Multiple postdocs and graduate students were involved in research activities related to the Einstein Toolkit. They received training in underlying physics, astrophysics, and computational and software engineering methods.
Last Modified: 01/13/2025
Modified by: Pablo Laguna
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