The Institute for Computational Cosmology
Newsletter number 1 2013
ICC NEWS July 2013
Institute for Computational Cosmology Newsletter
Welcome to the first ICC news! To coincide with the Royal Society’s Summer Science Exhibition in July 2013, we are delighted to release the first ever issue of the Institute for Computational Cosmology Newsletter. The past year has been very busy, with events ranging from the 10th Anniversary of the Ogden Centre for Fundamental Physics to the latest installation of the Cosmology Machine supercomputer. ICC News brings you up-to -date with all the activity at the ICC and explains about our research and outreach.
What is the ICC? The Institute for Computational Cosmology (ICC) is a leading international centre for research into the origin and evolution of the Universe based at Durham University. We address some of the most fundamental questions in science: What were the first objects in the Universe? How do galaxies form? What is the nature of the dark matter and dark energy? Where does the large-scale structure of the universe come from? What is the fate of the Universe? The ICC is housed in the Ogden Centre for Fundamental Physics, named after the benefactor businessman and Durham physics graduate Professor Sir Peter Ogden. The Ogden Centre is also home to the Institute for Particle Physics Phenomenology (IPPP).
“The Ogden Centre is a world-class centre for research into the fundamental mysteries of modern science, from the properties of the smallest elementary particles to the structure of our Universe as a whole…” - Prof Carlos Frenk, ICC Director
In This Issue
The Ogden Centre
ICC news
Testing Gravity
Ogden@10
Cosmology Machine
A PhD at the ICC
Awards for ICC staff The Biermann lecture series brings world-class scientists working on topics in theoretical and computational astrophysics to Garching.
A galactic halo simulated with cold dark matter (left) and warm dark matter (right)
ICC at Summer Science 2013 The Royal Society’s annual Summer Science Exhibition showcases the most exciting cutting-edge science and technology research. The Exhibition is the Society's main public event of the year and is open to members of the general public as well as students and teachers, scientists, policymakers and the media.
Cosmology in Crisis: What is the Matter? The ICC was awarded a place at Summer Science 2013 to present our latest research into the identity of the dark matter, which is generally thought to be a “cold”, weakly interacting elementary particle. ICC researchers, working with the Virgo Consortium have created computer simulations to model how dwarf galaxies formed, testing their assumptions about the nature of the Dark Matter. The team found that the final results of these simulations did not at all match what we observe. The models showed many more small galaxies in a wide halo around the Milky Way, whereas in reality there are fewer, larger dwarf galaxies.
So what does this mean for dark matter? One possible explanation is that CDM does not exist, and the predictions of the standard model relating to it are false. Instead of "cold" dark matter that formed within the first one millionth of a second after the Big Bang, the Universe may instead be filled with warm dark matter (WDM). The WDM would have formed later, up to minutes after the Big Bang, and is described as "warm" as the particles would be lighter and more energetic. When simulations of galaxy formation are run with WDM instead of CDM, the halo of dwarf galaxies has the same structure as we observe in reality.
This year's Biermann lecturer is Prof. Carlos Frenk, who has worked closely with scientists at the Max-Planck-Institute for Astrophysics for almost two decades, trying to understand the evolution of cosmic structure.
Recreating the Universe in the Cosmology Machine
"We have a worldleading research base in the UK,
The Rt. Hon. David Willetts (left) , Carlos Frenk (centre) and Simon Pendlebury (IBM; right)
thanks to excellent institutions like Durham. Today’s visit has provided an insight into the range of exciting projects at the university.”…” - David Willetts, Minister of State for Universities and Science
David Willetts visits Durham The Minister of State for Universities and Science, David Willetts, visited Durham University to see research projects possible by government and private investment. He also unveiled a new £3.7 million supercomputer. The computer, which is one of the most powerful in the country, is being used to run simulations of the Big Bang, the birth of the universe, through to the present day. Scientists at the Institute of Computational Cosmology (ICC) hope it will explain how the universe works. Professor Carlos Frenk, Director of the ICC said: "Modern scientific research, from recreating the evolution of the universe to designing life-saving drugs, relies heavily on supercomputing - the ``new mathematics'.' The machine opened today by the Minister of State is one of the most powerful in the UK and will be wholly dedicated to science."
Euclid Mission ICC researchers joined 400 scientists and engineers from across Europe and the USA at the recent Euclid Consortium meeting held in Leiden. Euclid is a M-class mission of the European Space Agency which aims to measure the properties of dark energy. Although Euclid is scheduled for launch in 2019, there is still a huge amount of work to do, and Durham is helping to lead the way!
The next generation The ICC has an outstanding track record of training young researchers, offering access to world leading expertise and state of the art resources. Students and postdocs work in a collaborative and supportive environment. Durham provides the opportunity to participate in international collaborations. In addition to the Virgo Consortium for Cosmological Simulations, the ICC plays leading roles in international surveys, including PanSTARRs, Herschel, GAMA, SCUBA-II and Euclid. We are also the coordinating node of two Marie-Curie funded training programs, CosmoComp and LACEGAL.
Studying for a PhD at the ICC The postgraduate student body at the ICC is truly international (with representatives from China, Crete, Portugal, Ireland, Chile, Mexico, USA, Germany, Switzerland and, of course, the UK). Around half of the places we offer are supported by STFC-funded PhD studentships: the remainder are funded by a range of different sources (e.g. ERC, non-UK government). Students undertake full-time cutting edge astronomical research, in addition to our post-graduate lecture courses in their first year. The STFC-funded PhD studentships cover course fees and living expenses for 3.5 years; however, you (typically) have to be a British citizen to be eligible for a fully funded STFC studentship. Applicants are required to have, or expected to gain, at least a 2.1 in an integrated MPhys or a pass in a Masters degree or a 1st class in a Bachelors degree, in physics, astrophysics or mathematics. Further details and information about how to apply can be found at: http://astro.dur.ac.uk/index.php?content=Cosmology/Postgraduate/
Contact Us Postal address: Institute for Computational Cosmology, Ogden Centre for Fundamental Physics, Department of Physics, University of Durham, Science Laboratories, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE. UK. Telephone and Email: Mrs. D.M.Jenkins (Secretary) Tel: +44 (0)191 334 3635, Fax:+44 (0)191 334 3645 Email: D.M.Jenkins@durham.ac.uk
Prof. C.S.Frenk (Director) Tel: +44 (0)191 334 3641, Fax: +44 (0)191 334 3645 Email: C.S.Frenk@durham.ac.uk
Visit us on the web at icc.dur.ac.uk