This
still frame from the Illustris simulation is centered on the most
massive galaxy cluster existing today. The blue-purple filaments show
the location of dark matter, which attracts normal matter
gravitationally and helps galaxies and clusters to clump together.
Bubbles of red, orange and white show where gas is being blasted outward
by supernovae or jets from supermassive black holes. Credit: Illustris Collaboration. High Resolution (jpg) - Low Resolution (jpg)
This
video from the Illustris project simulates 13 billion years of the
universe in just two minutes. It shows a close-up view on a volume of
space 30 million light-years on a side, around which the "camera"
rotates to show all sides. The total simulation volume is 1,000 times
larger than this region. The simulation features several layers
including dark matter, gas temperature, and the abundance of heavy
elements. Although all layers are present throughout the simulation, the
video shows only one layer at a time. The video begins by showing the
density of dark matter (blue) – the mysterious stuff that forms the
backbone of the cosmic web, holding galaxies and galaxy clusters
together. Next the video shifts to a view of gas temperature, with red
and white representing the highest temperatures. What appear to be
explosions actually come from supermassive black holes blasting jets of
material into intergalactic space, carving out huge bubbles. The view
then morphs to show the abundance of heavy elements (purple) mixed into
the gas, illustrating how dying stars have seeded space with chemicals
like oxygen and iron. Finally, the video shifts back to dark matter
before fading to a simulated view of the present-day universe teeming
with galaxies. Animation (mp4)
Cambridge, MA -Move over, Matrix
- astronomers have done you one better. They have created the first
realistic virtual universe using a computer simulation called
"Illustris." Illustris can recreate 13 billion years of cosmic evolution
in a cube 350 million light-years on a side with unprecedented
resolution.
"Until now, no single simulation was able to reproduce the universe
on both large and small scales simultaneously," says lead author Mark
Vogelsberger (MIT/Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics), who
conducted the work in collaboration with researchers at several
institutions, including the Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies
in Germany.
These results are being reported in the May 8th issue of the journal Nature.
Previous attempts to simulate the universe were hampered by lack of computing power and the complexities of the underlying physics. As a result those programs either were limited in resolution, or forced to focus on a small portion of the universe. Earlier simulations also had trouble modeling complex feedback from star formation, supernova explosions, and supermassive black holes.
Illustris employs a sophisticated computer program to recreate the evolution of the universe in high fidelity. It includes both normal matter and dark matter using 12 billion 3-D "pixels," or resolution elements.
The team dedicated five years to developing the Illustris program. The actual calculations took 3 months of "run time," using a total of 8,000 CPUs running in parallel. If they had used an average desktop computer, the calculations would have taken more than 2,000 years to complete.
The computer simulation began a mere 12 million years after the Big Bang. When it reached the present day, astronomers counted more than 41,000 galaxies in the cube of simulated space. Importantly, Illustris yielded a realistic mix of spiral galaxies like the Milky Way and football-shaped elliptical galaxies. It also recreated large-scale structures like galaxy clusters and the bubbles and voids of the cosmic web. On the small scale, it accurately recreated the chemistries of individual galaxies.
Since light travels at a fixed speed, the farther away astronomers look, the farther back in time they can see. A galaxy one billion light-years away is seen as it was a billion years ago. Telescopes like Hubble can give us views of the early universe by looking to greater distances. However, astronomers can't use Hubble to follow the evolution of a single galaxy over time.
"Illustris is like a time machine. We can go forward and backward in time. We can pause the simulation and zoom into a single galaxy or galaxy cluster to see what's really going on," says co-author Shy Genel of the CfA.
The team is releasing a high-definition video, which morphs between different components of the simulation to highlight various layers (e.g. dark matter density, gas temperature, or chemistry). They also are releasing several smaller videos and associated imagery online at http://www.illustris-project.org/
These results are being reported in the May 8th issue of the journal Nature.
Previous attempts to simulate the universe were hampered by lack of computing power and the complexities of the underlying physics. As a result those programs either were limited in resolution, or forced to focus on a small portion of the universe. Earlier simulations also had trouble modeling complex feedback from star formation, supernova explosions, and supermassive black holes.
Illustris employs a sophisticated computer program to recreate the evolution of the universe in high fidelity. It includes both normal matter and dark matter using 12 billion 3-D "pixels," or resolution elements.
The team dedicated five years to developing the Illustris program. The actual calculations took 3 months of "run time," using a total of 8,000 CPUs running in parallel. If they had used an average desktop computer, the calculations would have taken more than 2,000 years to complete.
The computer simulation began a mere 12 million years after the Big Bang. When it reached the present day, astronomers counted more than 41,000 galaxies in the cube of simulated space. Importantly, Illustris yielded a realistic mix of spiral galaxies like the Milky Way and football-shaped elliptical galaxies. It also recreated large-scale structures like galaxy clusters and the bubbles and voids of the cosmic web. On the small scale, it accurately recreated the chemistries of individual galaxies.
Since light travels at a fixed speed, the farther away astronomers look, the farther back in time they can see. A galaxy one billion light-years away is seen as it was a billion years ago. Telescopes like Hubble can give us views of the early universe by looking to greater distances. However, astronomers can't use Hubble to follow the evolution of a single galaxy over time.
"Illustris is like a time machine. We can go forward and backward in time. We can pause the simulation and zoom into a single galaxy or galaxy cluster to see what's really going on," says co-author Shy Genel of the CfA.
The team is releasing a high-definition video, which morphs between different components of the simulation to highlight various layers (e.g. dark matter density, gas temperature, or chemistry). They also are releasing several smaller videos and associated imagery online at http://www.illustris-project.org/
Headquartered
in Cambridge, Mass., the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
(CfA) is a joint collaboration between the Smithsonian Astrophysical
Observatory and the Harvard College Observatory. CfA scientists,
organized into six research divisions, study the origin, evolution and
ultimate fate of the universe.
For more information, contact:
David A. Aguilar
Director of Public Affairs
Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
617-495-7462
daguilar@cfa.harvard.edu
Christine Pulliam
Public Affairs Specialist
Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
617-495-7463
cpulliam@cfa.harvard.edu
David A. Aguilar
Director of Public Affairs
Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
617-495-7462
daguilar@cfa.harvard.edu
Christine Pulliam
Public Affairs Specialist
Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics
617-495-7463
cpulliam@cfa.harvard.edu
