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24.77 Pflops on a Gravitational Tree-Code to Simulate the Milky Way Galaxy with 18600 GPUs, In: SC '14: Proceedings of the International Conference for High Performance Computing, Networking, Storage and Analysis

We have simulated, for the first time, the long term evolution of the Milky Way Galaxy using 51 billion particles on the Swiss Piz Daint supercomputer with our N-body gravitational tree-code Bonsai. Herein, we describe the scientific motivation and numerical algorithms. The Milky Way model was simulated for 6 billion years, during which the bar structure and spiral arms were fully formed. This improves upon previous simulations by using 1000 times more particles, and provides a wealth of new data that can be directly compared with observations. We also report the scalability on both the Swiss Piz Daint and the US ORNL Titan. On Piz Daint the parallel efficiency of Bonsai was above 95%. The highest performance was achieved with a 242 billion particle Milky Way model using 18600 GPUs on Titan, thereby reaching a sustained GPU and application performance of 33.49 Pflops and 24.77 Pflops respectively.

Computer Science↗

$Z$-Pinch Interferometry Analysis With the Fourier-Based TNT Code

Here, we present the analysis of interferometry diagnostics with the user-friendly Talbot Numerical Tool (TNT), a Fourier-based postprocessing code that enables real-time assessment of plasma systems. TNT performance was explored with visible and infrared interferometry in pulsed-power-driven Z -pinch configurations to expand its capabilities beyond Talbot X-ray interferometry in the high-intensity laser environment. TNT enabled accurate electron density characterization of magnetically driven plasma flows and shocks through phase-retrieval methods that did not require data modification or masking. TNT demonstrated enhanced resolution, detecting below 4 % fringe shift, which corresponds to 8.7 × 10 15 cm –2 within 28 μ m, approaching the laser probing system limit. TNT was tested against a well-known interferometry analysis software, delivering an average resolving power nearly ten times better (~28 μ m versus ~ 210 μ m) when resolving plasma ablation features. TNT demonstrated higher sensitivity when probing sharp electron density gradients in supersonic shocks. A maximum electron areal density of 4.1 × 10 17 cm –2 was measured in the shocked plasma region, and a minimum electron density detection of ~ 1.0 × 10 15 cm –2 was achieved. When probing colliding plasma flows, the calculations of the effective adiabatic index and the associated errors were improved from γ* = 2.6 ± 1.6 – 1.4 ± 0.2 with TNT postprocessing, contributing valuable data for the interpretation of radiative transport. Additional applications of TNT in the characterization of pulsed-power plasmas and beyond are discussed.

70 PLASMA PHYSICS AND FUSION TECHNOLOGY↗

Development and Validation of Passive Yaw in the Open-Source WEC-Sim Code

A passive yaw implementation is developed, validated, and explored for the WEC-Sim, an open-source wave energy converter modeling tool that works within MATLAB/Simulink. The Reference Model 5 (RM5) is selected for this investigation, and a WEC-Sim model of the device is modified to allow yaw motion. A boundary element method (BEM) code was used to calculate the excitation force coefficients for a range of wave headings. An algorithm was implemented in WEC-Sim to determine the equivalent wave heading from a body’s instantaneous yaw angle and interpolate the appropriate excitation coefficients to ensure the correct time-domain excitation force. This approach is able to determine excitation force for a body undergoing large yaw displacement. For the mathematically simple case of regular wave excitation, the dynamic equation was integrated numerically and found to closely approximate the results from this implementation in WEC-Sim. A case study is presented for the same device in irregular waves. In this case, computation time is increased by 32x when this interpolation is performed at every time step. To reduce this expense, a threshold yaw displacement can be set to reduce the number of interpolations performed. A threshold of 0.01° was found to increase computation time by only 22x without significantly affecting time domain results. Similar amplitude spectra for yaw force and displacements are observed for all threshold values less than 1°, for which computation time is only increased by 2.2x.

50 EE - Wind and Water Power Program - Water (EE-4↗

SU-E-T-521: Investigation of the Uncertainties Involved in Secondary Neutron/gamma Production in Geant4/MCNP6 Monte Carlo Codes for Proton Therapy Application

Purpose: A major concern in proton therapy is the production of secondary neutrons causing secondary cancers, especially in young adults and children. Most utilized Monte Carlo codes in proton therapy are Geant4 and MCNP. However, the default versions of Geant4 and MCNP6 do not have suitable cross sections or physical models to properly handle secondary particle production in proton energy ranges used for therapy. In this study, default versions of Geant4 and MCNP6 were modified to better handle production of secondaries by adding the TENDL-2012 cross-section library. Methods: In-water proton depth-dose was measured at the “The Svedberg Laboratory” in Uppsala (Sweden). The proton beam was mono-energetic with mean energy of 178.25±0.2 MeV. The measurement set-up was simulated by Geant4 version 10.00 (default and modified version) and MCNP6. Proton depth-dose, primary and secondary particle fluence and neutron equivalent dose were calculated. In case of Geant4, the secondary particle fluence was filtered by all the physics processes to identify the main process responsible for the difference between the default and modified version. Results: The proton depth-dose curves and primary proton fluence show a good agreement between both Geant4 versions and MCNP6. With respect to the modified version, default Geant4 underestimates the production of secondary neutrons while overestimates that of gammas. The “ProtonInElastic” process was identified as the main responsible process for the difference between the two versions. MCNP6 shows higher neutron production and lower gamma production than both Geant4 versions. Conclusion: Despite the good agreement on the proton depth dose curve and primary proton fluence, there is a significant discrepancy on secondary neutron production between MCNP6 and both versions of Geant4. Further studies are thus in order to find the possible cause of this discrepancy or more accurate cross-sections/models to handle the nuclear interactions of protons with energy ranges used for therapy. NSERC-CRSNG’ CREATE Medical Physics Research Training Network compute calcul CANADA; McGill University health center research institute the fast foundation; LM acknowledges partial support by the CREATE Medical Physics Research Training Network grant of the Natural Sciences and Engineering; Research Council Grant number 432290.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

SU-E-T-753: Three-Dimensional Dose Distributions of Incident Proton Particle in the Polymer Gel Dosimeter and the Radiochromic Gel Dosimeter: A Simulation Study with MCNP Code

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to estimate the three-dimensional dose distributions in the polymer and the radiochromic gel dosimeter, and to identify the detectability of both gel dosimeters by comparing with the water phantom in case of irradiating the proton particles. Methods: The normoxic polymer gel and the LCV micelle radiochromic gel were used in this study. The densities of polymer and the radiochromic gel dosimeter were 1.024 and 1.005 g/cm{sup 3}, respectively. The dose distributions of protons in the polymer and radiochromic gel were simulated using Monte Carlo radiation transport code (MCNPX, Los Alamos National Laboratory). The shape of phantom irradiated by proton particles was a hexahedron with the dimension of 12.4 × 12.4 × 15.0 cm{sup 3}. The energies of proton beam were 50, 80, and 140 MeV energies were directed to top of the surface of phantom. The cross-sectional view of proton dose distribution in both gel dosimeters was estimated with the water phantom and evaluated by the gamma evaluation method. In addition, the absorbed dose(Gy) was also calculated for evaluating the proton detectability. Results: The evaluation results show that dose distributions in both gel dosimeters at intermediated section and Bragg-peak region are similar with that of the water phantom. At entrance section, however, inconsistencies of dose distribution are represented, compared with water. The relative absorbed doses in radiochromic and polymer gel dosimeter were represented to be 0.47 % and 2.26 % difference, respectively. These results show that the radiochromic gel dosimeter was better matched than the water phantom in the absorbed dose evaluation. Conclusion: The polymer and the radiochromic gel dosimeter show similar characteristics in dose distributions for the proton beams at intermediate section and Bragg-peak region. Moreover the calculated absorbed dose in both gel dosimeters represents similar tendency by comparing with that in water phantom.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

TU-EF-304-10: Efficient Multiscale Simulation of the Proton Relative Biological Effectiveness (RBE) for DNA Double Strand Break (DSB) Induction and Bio-Effective Dose in the FLUKA Monte Carlo Radiation Transport Code

Purpose: One of the more critical initiating events for reproductive cell death is the creation of a DNA double strand break (DSB). In this study, we present a computationally efficient way to determine spatial variations in the relative biological effectiveness (RBE) of proton therapy beams within the FLUKA Monte Carlo (MC) code. Methods: We used the independently tested Monte Carlo Damage Simulation (MCDS) developed by Stewart and colleagues (Radiat. Res. 176, 587–602 2011) to estimate the RBE for DSB induction of monoenergetic protons, tritium, deuterium, hellium-3, hellium-4 ions and delta-electrons. The dose-weighted (RBE) coefficients were incorporated into FLUKA to determine the equivalent {sup 6}°60Co γ-ray dose for representative proton beams incident on cells in an aerobic and anoxic environment. Results: We found that the proton beam RBE for DSB induction at the tip of the Bragg peak, including primary and secondary particles, is close to 1.2. Furthermore, the RBE increases laterally to the beam axis at the area of Bragg peak. At the distal edge, the RBE is in the range from 1.3–1.4 for cells irradiated under aerobic conditions and may be as large as 1.5–1.8 for cells irradiated under anoxic conditions. Across the plateau region, the recorded RBE for DSB induction is 1.02 for aerobic cells and 1.05 for cells irradiated under anoxic conditions. The contribution to total effective dose from secondary heavy ions decreases with depth and is higher at shallow depths (e.g., at the surface of the skin). Conclusion: Multiscale simulation of the RBE for DSB induction provides useful insights into spatial variations in proton RBE within pristine Bragg peaks. This methodology is potentially useful for the biological optimization of proton therapy for the treatment of cancer. The study highlights the need to incorporate spatial variations in proton RBE into proton therapy treatment plans.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Analysis of the track- and dose-averaged LET and LET spectra in proton therapy using the GEANT4 Monte Carlo code

Purpose: The motivation of this study was to find and eliminate the cause of errors in dose-averaged linear energy transfer (LET) calculations from therapeutic protons in small targets, such as biological cell layers, calculated using the GEANT 4 Monte Carlo code. Furthermore, the purpose was also to provide a recommendation to select an appropriate LET quantity from GEANT 4 simulations to correlate with biological effectiveness of therapeutic protons. Methods: The authors developed a particle tracking step based strategy to calculate the average LET quantities (track-averaged LET, LET{sub t} and dose-averaged LET, LET{sub d}) using GEANT 4 for different tracking step size limits. A step size limit refers to the maximally allowable tracking step length. The authors investigated how the tracking step size limit influenced the calculated LET{sub t} and LET{sub d} of protons with six different step limits ranging from 1 to 500 μm in a water phantom irradiated by a 79.7-MeV clinical proton beam. In addition, the authors analyzed the detailed stochastic energy deposition information including fluence spectra and dose spectra of the energy-deposition-per-step of protons. As a reference, the authors also calculated the averaged LET and analyzed the LET spectra combining the Monte Carlo method and the deterministic method. Relative biological effectiveness (RBE) calculations were performed to illustrate the impact of different LET calculation methods on the RBE-weighted dose. Results: Simulation results showed that the step limit effect was small for LET{sub t} but significant for LET{sub d}. This resulted from differences in the energy-deposition-per-step between the fluence spectra and dose spectra at different depths in the phantom. Using the Monte Carlo particle tracking method in GEANT 4 can result in incorrect LET{sub d} calculation results in the dose plateau region for small step limits. The erroneous LET{sub d} results can be attributed to the algorithm to determine fluctuations in energy deposition along the tracking step in GEANT 4. The incorrect LET{sub d} values lead to substantial differences in the calculated RBE. Conclusions: When the GEANT 4 particle tracking method is used to calculate the average LET values within targets with a small step limit, such as smaller than 500 μm, the authors recommend the use of LET{sub t} in the dose plateau region and LET{sub d} around the Bragg peak. For a large step limit, i.e., 500 μm, LET{sub d} is recommended along the whole Bragg curve. The transition point depends on beam parameters and can be found by determining the location where the gradient of the ratio of LET{sub d} and LET{sub t} becomes positive.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

SU-F-T-193: Evaluation of a GPU-Based Fast Monte Carlo Code for Proton Therapy Biological Optimization

Purpose: Biological treatment plan optimization is of great interest for proton therapy. It requires extensive Monte Carlo (MC) simulations to compute physical dose and biological quantities. Recently, a gPMC package was developed for rapid MC dose calculations on a GPU platform. This work investigated its suitability for proton therapy biological optimization in terms of accuracy and efficiency. Methods: We performed simulations of a proton pencil beam with energies of 75, 150 and 225 MeV in a homogeneous water phantom using gPMC and FLUKA. Physical dose and energy spectra for each ion type on the central beam axis were scored. Relative Biological Effectiveness (RBE) was calculated using repair-misrepair-fixation model. Microdosimetry calculations were performed using Monte Carlo Damage Simulation (MCDS). Results: Ranges computed by the two codes agreed within 1 mm. Physical dose difference was less than 2.5 % at the Bragg peak. RBE-weighted dose agreed within 5 % at the Bragg peak. Differences in microdosimetric quantities such as dose average lineal energy transfer and specific energy were < 10%. The simulation time per source particle with FLUKA was 0.0018 sec, while gPMC was ∼ 600 times faster. Conclusion: Physical dose computed by FLUKA and gPMC were in a good agreement. The RBE differences along the central axis were small, and RBE-weighted dose difference was found to be acceptable. The combined accuracy and efficiency makes gPMC suitable for proton therapy biological optimization.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

TH-CD-BRA-03: Direct Measurement of Magnetic Field Correction Factors, KQB, for Application in Future Codes of Practice for Reference Dosimetry

Purpose: With an MR-linac, radiation is delivered in the presence of a magnetic field. Modifications in the codes of practice (CoPs) for reference dosimetry are required to incorporate the effect of the magnetic field. Methods: In most CoPs the absorbed dose is determined using the well-known kQ formalism as the product of the calibration coefficient, the corrected electrometer reading and kQ, to account for the difference in beam quality. To keep a similar formalism a single correction factor is introduced which replaces kQ, and which corrects for beam quality and B-field, kQ,B. In this study we propose a method to determine kQ,B under reference conditions in the MRLinac without using a primary standard, as the product of:- the ratio between detector readings without and with B-field (kB),- the ratio between doses in the point of measurement with and without B-field (rho),- kQ in the absence of the B-field in the MRLinac beam (kQmrl0,Q0),The ratio of the readings, which covers the change in detector reading due to the different electron trajectories in the detector, was measured with a waterproof ionization chamber (IBA-FC65g) in a water phantom in the MRLinac without and with B-field. The change in dose-to-water in the point of measurement due to the B-field was determined with a Monte Carlo based TPS. Results: For the presented approach, the measured ratio of readings is 0.956, the calculated ratio of doses in the point of measurement is 0.995. Based on TPR20,10 measurements kQ was calculated as 0.989 using NCS-18. This yields a value of 0.9408 for kQ,B. Conclusion: The presented approach to determine kQ,B agrees with a method based on primary standards within 0.4% with an uncertainty of 1% (1 std.uncert). It differs from a similar approach using a PMMA-phantom and an NE2571 chamber with 1.3%.

60 APPLIED LIFE SCIENCES↗

Quantum Key Distribution with Temporal Coding of Time-Bin Qubits

In this study, we demonstrate the possibility of realizing the quantum key distribution system by temporal coding of time-bin qubits that are prepared and measured using unbalanced Mach-Zehnder interferometers. We also show that, to exclude a clear a priori identification of time-bin qubits with equal bases, their encoding with the symbols 0 and 1 can be accomplished by delaying one of them by half the clock interval. The uniqueness of measurements of qutrits in this algorithm is shown to be based on the ability of quantum particles in β-states to interfere with the probability amplitudes at the ports of the system interferometers, as well as the absence of collisions of signaling states of the qutrits in adjacent clock intervals. We describe a method for controlling such collisions, including those that are based on qubits prepared from quasi-one-photon coherent laser states.

71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS, GENERAL PHYSIC↗

Symmetry and Topology Code of the Cluster Self-Assembly of Intermetallic Compounds A{sub 2}{sup [16]}B{sub 4}{sup [12]} of the Friauf Families Mg{sub 2}Cu{sub 4} and Mg{sub 2}Zn{sub 4}

A geometrical and topological analysis of intermetallic compounds A{sub 2}{sup [16]}B{sub 4}{sup [12]} of the Friauf families Mg{sub 2}Cu{sub 4} (formed in 273 binary and 775 ternary systems) and Mg{sub 2}Zn{sub 4} (formed in 67 binary and 121 ternary systems) has been performed. Basic 3D nets are determined in the form of a graph, whose sites correspond to the centers of tetrahedral cluster precursors В{sub 4}: Cu-type net with a coordination number (CN) of 12 for Mg{sub 2}Cu{sub 4} and a BN-type net with a CN of 8 for Mg{sub 2}Zn{sub 4}. The symmetry and topology code is determined for the crystal structure self-assembly in the following form: primary chain S{sub 3}{sup 1} → microlayer S{sub 3}{sup 2} → microframework S{sub 3}{sup 3}. An identical mechanism of primary chain S{sub 3}{sup 1} self-assembly from B{sub 4} clusters with participation of large template atoms A{sup [16]} for both families and a mechanism of S{sub 3}{sup 2} microlayer self-assembly from parallel S{sub 3}{sup 1} chains in Mg{sub 2}Cu{sub 4} (basic 2D net 4{sup 4}) and shifted chains in Mg{sub 2}Zn{sub 4} (basic 2D net 3{sup 6}) have been determined for the first time. The constant chemical composition of intermetallic compounds A{sub 2}{sup [16]}B{sub 4}{sup [12]} is related to the functional difference between the B atoms forming 3D frameworks and template atoms А. The numbers of chemically different В{sub 4} clusters for the Mg{sub 2}Cu{sub 4} and Mg{sub 2}Zn{sub 4} families are found to be 25 and 19, respectively.

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE↗

Experimental investigation of neutronic characteristics of the IR-8 reactor to confirm the results of calculations by MCU-PTR code

A comparison of measured and calculated neutronic characteristics (fast neutron flux and fission rate of {sup 235}U) in the core and reflector of the IR-8 reactor is presented. The irradiation devices equipped with neutron activation detectors were prepared. The determination of fast neutron flux was performed using the {sup 54}Fe (n, p) and {sup 58}Ni (n, p) reactions. The {sup 235}U fission rate was measured using uranium dioxide with 10% enrichment in {sup 235}U. The determination of specific activities of detectors was carried out by measuring the intensity of characteristic gamma peaks using the ORTEC gamma spectrometer. Neutron fields in the core and reflector of the IR-8 reactor were calculated using the MCU-PTR code.

21 SPECIFIC NUCLEAR REACTORS AND ASSOCIATED PLANTS↗

Nucleon-induced inelastic scattering with statistical strength functions and the ECIS direct reaction code

Modern theoretical descriptions of inelastic scattering make use of multi-step direct reaction approaches together with transition potentials obtained from sophisticated nuclear structure models. Here we demonstrate how the complexity of such calculations can be reduced to permit simpler ones, also using the ECIS code, but providing an almost equally precise alternative to a much more detailed calculation. We have studied the transition form factors within the random phase approximation (RPA), where these are obtained as linear combinations of particle–hole states. At moderate to high excitation energies, where interference effects tend to disappear, we have proposed an independent particle–hole formalism in which particle–hole states are spread in energy with an appropriate strength function obtained from the RPA. The effects of more complex modes, such as 2p–2h ones, are simulated with widths calculated in a semi-classical context. In this work, we verify the validity of our approximations for pre-equilibrium proton-induced reactions on 90 Zr target. Our calculations provide a good description of the reaction data and point toward a simplification of the description of nucleon-induced reactions based on averages of microscopic details of the projectile–target interaction.

73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS↗

HEPfit: a code for the combination of indirect and direct constraints on high energy physics models

HEPfit is a flexible open-source tool which, given the Standard Model or any of its extensions, allows to (i) fit the model parameters to a given set of experimental observables; (ii) obtain predictions for observables. HEPfit can be used either in Monte Carlo mode, to perform a Bayesian Markov Chain Monte Carlo analysis of a given model, or as a library, to obtain predictions of observables for a given point in the parameter space of the model, allowing HEPfit to be used in any statistical framework. In the present version, around a thousand observables have been implemented in the Standard Model and in several new physics scenarios. In this paper, we describe the general structure of the code as well as models and observables implemented in the current release.

72 PHYSICS OF ELEMENTARY PARTICLES AND FIELDS↗

BattPhase—A Convergent, Non-Oscillatory, Efficient Algorithm and Code for Predicting Shape Changes in Lithium Metal Batteries Using Phase-Field Models: Part I. Secondary Current Distribution

Electrochemical models at different scales and varying levels of complexity have been used in the literature to study the evolution of the anode surface in lithium metal batteries. This includes continuum, mesoscale (phase-field approaches), and multiscale models. Thermodynamics-based equations have been used to study phase changes in lithium batteries using phase-field approaches. However, grid convergence studies and the effect of additional parameters needed to simulate these models are not well-documented in the literature. In this paper, using a motivating example of a moving boundary model in one- and two-dimensions, we show how one can formulate phase-field models, implement algorithms for the same and analyze the results. An open-access code with no restrictions is provided as well. This article concludes with some thoughts on the computational efficiency of phase-field models for simulating dendritic growth.

25 ENERGY STORAGE↗

Computation of Alfvèn eigenmode stability and saturation through a reduced fast ion transport model in the TRANSP tokamak transport code

Alfvénic instabilities (AEs) are well known as a potential cause of enhanced fast ion transport in fusion devices. Given a specific plasma scenario, quantitative predictions of (i) expected unstable AE spectrum and (ii) resulting fast ion transport are required to prevent or mitigate the AE- induced degradation in fusion performance. Reduced models are becoming an attractive tool to analyze existing scenarios as well as for scenario prediction in time-dependent simulations. In this work, a neutral beam heated NSTX discharge is used as reference to illustrate the potential of a reduced fast ion transport model, known as kick model, that has been recently implemented for interpretive and predictive analysis within the framework of the time-dependent tokamak transport code TRANSP. Predictive capabilities for AE stability and saturation amplitude are first assessed, based on given thermal plasma profiles only. Predictions are then compared to experimental results, and the interpretive capabilities of the model further discussed. Overall, the reduced model captures the main properties of the instabilities and associated effects on the fast ion population. Additional information from the actual experiment enables further tuning of the model’s parameters to achieve a close match with measurements.

Alfven instabilities↗