Simulation Tools
Team models ionic conductivity in doped ceria for fuel cell electrolyte
January 12, 2012 3:55 am | News | CommentsOptimizing the conductivity of ceria-based oxides, or doped ceria, is crucial to their use as electrolytes in future solid oxide fuel cells. Researchers from NIST and Arizona State University have successfully used kinetic lattice Monte Carlo simulations to predict the optimum dopant concentration for maximizing conductivity for gadolinium doped ceria at temperatures that are practical for fuel cell operation.
Sandia helps IT pros visualize complex network vulnerabilities
January 11, 2012 5:14 am | News | CommentsAddressing the complexity of Domain Name System Security (DNSSEC), Sandia National Laboratories computer scientist Casey Deccio has developed a new visualization tool known as DNSViz. DNSSEC is a standard security feature at high-level government offices, but it is extremely complex and Deccio’s tool helps simplify implementation.
Team to test ‘quad porosity’ shale gas model
January 11, 2012 5:09 am | News | CommentsA quad porosity model developed by Oklahoma State University researchers uses scanning electron microscopy to characterize up to four porosity systems for shale gas. The simulation model, which will offer better forecasting and potential cost savings, is about to be field-tested in gas reservoirs over the next few months.
Metal oxide simulations could help green technology
January 10, 2012 3:26 am | News | CommentsUniversity of California, Davis, researchers have proposed a radical new way of thinking about the chemical reactions between water and metal oxides. The new paradigm could lead to a better understanding of corrosion and how toxic minerals leach from rocks and soil. It could also help in development of green technology.
Topography played key role in Deepwater Horizon aftermath
January 9, 2012 3:55 pm | News | CommentsWhen geochemist David Valentine and colleagues published a study in early 2011 documenting how bacteria blooms had consumed almost all of the deepwater methane plumes following the Deepwater Horizon oil spill in 2010, some people were skeptical. A recent publication explains how they did it.
Case study: Advanced cluster simulations, on the fly
January 9, 2012 3:12 am | White PapersKonrad Juethner, a software engineering consultant, recently used Windows HPC Server to run cluster-based analysis with COMSOL Multiphysics using the hardware he had available at home. His successful setup highlights a high level of accessibility for advanced supercomputing approaches.
Models bring the brain’s orchestra in tune
December 12, 2011 4:53 am | News | CommentsResearchers at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences (UMB) and Forschungszentrum Jülich in Germany have conducted detailed analyses of electrical activity in the brain with the help of mathematical models that reveal the connection between nerve cell activity and the electrical signal recorded by an electrode.
Scientists learn how our brains keep us focused
December 8, 2011 5:40 am | News | CommentsIn a new study, scientists at the RIKEN Brain Science Institute have uncovered the mechanisms that help our brain to focus, or lose focus. Computational models and advanced imaging methods have identified the filters that efficiently route only relevant information to perceptual brain regions.
Computer simulations shed light on the physics of rainbows
December 7, 2011 5:07 am | News | CommentsComputer scientists at the University of California, San Diego, who set out to simulate all rainbows found in nature, wound up answering questions about the physics of rainbows as well. The scientists recreated a wide variety of rainbows by using an improved method for simulating how light interacts with water drops of various shapes and sizes.
Supercomputer reveals details behind drug-processing protein model
December 7, 2011 4:22 am | News | CommentsSupercomputer simulations at Oak Ridge National Laboratory are giving scientists access to a key class of proteins involved in drug detoxification. Researchers have performed simulations to observe the motions of water molecules in a class of enzymes called P450s, which are responsible for processing a large fraction of drugs taken by humans.
New plate tectonic model may help predict quakes
November 28, 2011 7:01 am | News | CommentsExisting theories of plate tectonics had failed to explain several features of the development of the Andes, so a geoscience expert in Australia built a new model to explain large gaps in the historical record. The new model provided the answers and may be useful for examining not just how plates move, but also when.
Fundamental discovery casts enzymes in new light
November 14, 2011 5:20 am | News | CommentsProtein complexes have long been viewed as static entities with biological function understood in terms of direct interactions. But as recent work at Oak Ridge National Laboratory’s Jaguar supercomputer has revealed, the internal motion of enzymes, as well the underlying structure that is common to the largest and smallest complexes, is the key to its behavior and function.
Software will predict robot behavior before they are built
November 10, 2011 3:36 am | News | CommentsResearchers from three universities are collaborating to develop a new generation of design software that can accurately predict the physical behavior of robots prior to prototyping.
Fisker Automotive chooses Dassault Systemes PLM solutions
November 8, 2011 7:02 am | News | CommentsDassault Systèmes announced that Fisker Automotive has relied upon CATIA for virtual design and ENOVIA for product data management and collaboration in the development of its Karma and Surf models.
Tool clears the air on cloud simulations
October 26, 2011 6:12 am | News | CommentsClimate models have a hard time representing clouds accurately because they lack the spatial resolution necessary to accurately simulate the billowy air masses. But Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory scientists and international collaborators have developed a new tool that will help scientists better represent the clouds observed in the sky in climate models.
Researchers achieve world record in 3D imaging
October 21, 2011 11:23 am | News | CommentsScientists at the University of Stuttgart have generated a 3D image of the pore structure of sandstone that contains more than 35 trillion voxels. By comparison, typical medical magnetic resonance images contain just 720 million voxels. Knowledge of sandstone structure is important in oil recovery and groundwater management.
One clock, two times: quantum mechanics meets general relativity
October 19, 2011 11:39 am | News | CommentsThe interplay between quantum mechanics, which are observed on a small scale, and general relativity, which is clearly evident on a cosmic scale, has been extremely difficult to test. However, a new experiment has been proposed that manages to probe the overlap of these two theories.
Princeton model shows fallout of a giant meteorite strike
October 19, 2011 10:42 am | News | CommentsSeeking to better understand the level of death and destruction that would result from a large meteorite striking the Earth, Princeton University researchers have developed a new model that can not only more accurately simulate the seismic fallout of such an impact, but also help reveal new information about the surface and interior of planets based on past collisions.
Honeywell, Bayer Technology Services deliver simulation technology
October 19, 2011 7:36 am | News | CommentsHoneywell announced it has signed an agreement with Bayer Technology Services (BTS). Together the companies will cooperate to deliver dynamic process simulation and other training systems for deployment in the chemical and pharmaceutical industries.
Lab biophysicist invents improvement to Monte Carlo technique
October 18, 2011 4:10 am | News | CommentsJerome P. Nilmeier, a biophysicist working in computational biology, is willing to bet his new research will provide a breakthrough in the use of the Monte Carlo probability code in biological simulations.
High-performance simulation uncovers three classes of protein motion
September 30, 2011 5:53 am | News | CommentsMolecular motion in proteins comes in three distinct classes, according to a collaboration by researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and the University of Tennessee. The research team combined high-performance computer simulation with neutron scattering experiments to understand atomic-level motions that underpin the operations of proteins.
Scientists release most accurate simulation of universe to date
September 29, 2011 10:25 am | News | CommentsThe Bolshoi supercomputer simulation, the most accurate and detailed large cosmological simulation run to date, gives physicists and astronomers a powerful new tool for understanding such cosmic mysteries as galaxy formation, dark matter, and dark energy.
Simulating turbulent combustion speeds design
September 22, 2011 5:04 am | News | CommentsMultiscale complexity is common across all combustion applications—internal combustion engines, rockets, and industrial boilers—and can range from tens of meters to billionths of meters. New techniques being employed at supercomputers covers this huge scale range using fewer computer hours, and could benefit efficiency levels in the combustion industry.
Black hole, star collisions may illuminate universe's dark side
September 19, 2011 9:57 am | News | CommentsScientists looking to capture evidence of dark matter may find a helpful tool in the recent work of researchers from Princeton University and New York University. The team unveiled a ready-made method for detecting the collision of stars with an elusive type of black hole that is on the short list of objects believed to make up dark matter.
First glimpse into birth of the Milky Way
August 25, 2011 5:55 am | News | CommentsFor almost 20 years astrophysicists have been trying to recreate the formation of spiral galaxies such as our Milky Way realistically. Now astrophysicists from the University of Zurich present the world's first realistic simulation of the formation of our home galaxy together with astronomers from the University of California at Santa Cruz.
