Researchers in America have created the most indepth and realistic simulation of the evolving universe. This will help astrophysicists to better comprehend subjects such as dark matter, dark energy and galaxy formation.

Leading scientsts from the New Mexico State Univeristy in Las Cruces and The University of California, Santa Cruz have been executing a program for 18 days, known as the Bolshoi simulation.

It was running on Pleiades, the seventh most powerful computers in the world – at the Ames Research center in Mountain View, California.

The Bolshoi simulation has taken 4 years to develop. It tries to track progression of large scale structures in space and highlights how coronas of dark matter encompass galaxies to provide gravity, which holds them all together.

Joel Primack, head of the simulation program at Santa Cruz said “The simulation corroborates the accuracy of models that astronomers have built to clarify how the Big Bang theory initiated the source of subatomic particles and galaxies that inhabit our growing universe.

In one sense, you might think the initial results are a little boring, because they basically show that our standard cosmological model works. What’s exciting is that we now have this highly accurate simulation that will provide the basis for lots of important new studies in the months and years to come. The simulation signifies the nature and power of another mysterious force identified as dark energy, which is also vital to the established development of space.”

Anatoly Klypin, professor of astronomy at New Mexico said “We've released a lot of the data so that other astrophysicists can start to use it. So far it's less than 1 percent of the actual output, because the total output is so huge, but there will be additional releases in the future.”

Kitguru says: Feeling small?

Become a Patron!