Acquisition of High-Performance Scientific Computing Cluster for Theoretical Physics

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This award will allow the Department of Physics at New York Universityto set up a cluster of advanced workstations (48 nodes of dual 866 MHzPentium III processors) to support computationally intensive researchin a number of areas of theoretical physics and astrophysics. Theproposed research projects include:1) properties of atmospheric particle showers induced by ultra-high-energycosmic rays [Farrar];2) simulation of astrophysical magnetic fields [Farrar in collaboration withGoodman and others];3) magnetically controlled electrical transport in layered structures [Levy];4) statistical mechanics of simple and complex fluids [Percus];5) structure formation in the early universe [Scoccimarro and Zaldarriaga];6) asymptotic freedom in two-dimensional $\sigma$-models, and the criticalbehavior of Potts antiferromagnets and of self-avoiding random walk[Sokal];and 7) confinement mechanisms in lattice quantum chromodynamics [Zwanziger].The proposed research making use of this cluster will also providetraining in high-performance scientific computing for the Department'sgraduate and undergraduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and visitingfaculty from other institutions, using a variety of programming languages(Fortran, C, C++, Mathematica) and advanced scientific software. Thistraining in advanced computational techniques will be of benefit byproviding broadly applicable skills, not only to those graduate studentswho pursue subsequent careers in academic research, but also to those whogo on to careers in industrial R+D and elsewhere in society.