MRI: Acquisition of a Computing Cluster for Astrophysics and Nuclear Physics Research at the University of Richmond

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This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).This award will support a 15-node computing cluster and 6 TByte of storage to support co-operating research programs in astrophysics and nuclear physics at the University of Richmond, making faculty more productive and helping train students in modern data mining techniques, simulation, and high-performance computing. The NSF-funded astrophysics research led by PI Bunn focuses on simulations of MBI/BRAIN, a new cosmic microwave background polarimeter being built by researchers at Brown University and the University of Wisconsin, in collaboration with a European group centered at the Universite de Paris. This instrument is a technology pathfinder for a planned future satellite-borne telescope, with the ultimate goal of detecting the signature of gravitational waves produced by inflation in the very early Universe. The nuclear physics research centers on unraveling the structure of the nucleon and the nature of quark confinement. This project involves extracting the distribution of charge and current in the neutron, and measuring the properties of the nuclear force via the breakup of the simplest nucleus, the deuteron.The equipment obtained with this award will enhance the engagement of undergraduates in these cutting-edge projects, by reducing the extended processing times that are a barrier to learning and meaningful undergraduate student research involvement. It will also give students experience with the design and execution of large-scale projects.