PIRE: Black Hole Astrophysics in the Era of Distributed Resources and Expertise

Pi：Dimitrios Psaltis(亚利桑那大学)合作PI：Sheperd Doeleman(哈佛大学)Charles Gammie(伊利诺伊大学)Daniel Marrone(亚利桑那大学)FerYal Ozel(亚利桑那大学)非技术说明：Event Horizon Telescope(EHT)是地球大小的望远镜阵列，旨在获得有史以来第一幅天体物理黑洞图像，并在极端条件下测试爱因斯坦的广义相对论。该项目本质上是国际性和多学科的，涉及五大洲的望远镜和机构，需要从探测器开发到高性能计算和理论物理等领域的专业知识。帝国计划团队将整合美国、德国、墨西哥和台湾的研究人员，并将EHT等天文项目带入大数据和分布式科学时代。PERE奖将资助探测器开发、安装协调观测、伙伴机构之间的快速数据传输以及将实现观测的科学潜力的云计算方面的活动。项目活动、暑期班和网络研讨会将使学生和早期职业研究人员能够获得在最先进的仪器技术、高性能计算和大数据科学方面的国际协作实践经验。该中心还将为年轻的研究人员提供在大型、复杂的国际合作中导航的重要经验。根据该奖项开发的工具将向更广泛的社区公开提供，以直接使依赖于分布式资源和专业知识的所有其他项目受益。第一张黑洞图像、计算机模拟的视觉效果令人惊叹的组合，以及虚拟现实工具的使用，将使公众参与到黑洞迷人的天体物理学中，并激励有抱负的和未来的STEM学生。技术描述：EHT生成全球范围内分布的数据和计算产品，其速度突破了当前共享和分析基础设施的极限。拟议的PERE奖将支持利用EHT以前所未有的角度分辨率研究黑洞的目标，为此将资助下列活动：(1)提高观测效率的先进技术；(2)优化全球运动的调度和触发的算法；(3)促进参与机构之间快速传输和共享大量数据的基础设施；以及(4)云计算框架，通过支持先进的建模和分析工作，实现观测的科学潜力。国际合作伙伴为帝国项目带来的独特机会包括开发基础设施，以加速数据、工具和资源的全球共享，以便从根本上改变国际和多方面合作的使用方式，如EHT。拟议的PERE奖项将邀请本科生、研究生和博士后助理参加一个三大洲项目，每年一次的暑期学校在四个成员国之间轮流举办。将通过每月的网络研讨会、黑客松和伙伴机构之间的定期交流访问来加强这一点。这一合作的教育成果将通过使用先进的评估工具进行监测和持续改进。

PI: Dimitrios Psaltis (University of Arizona)co-PIs: Sheperd Doeleman (Harvard University)Charles Gammie (University of Illinois)Daniel Marrone (University of Arizona)Feryal Ozel (University of Arizona)Non-Technical Explanation:The Event Horizon Telescope (EHT) is an Earth-sized array of telescopes that aims to obtain the first ever images of astrophysical black holes and test Einstein's theory of general relativity in extreme conditions. The project is inherently international and multidisciplinary, involving telescopes and institutions on five continents and requiring expertise in areas ranging from detector development to high-performance computing and theoretical physics. The PIRE project team will integrate researchers in the U.S., Germany, Mexico, and Taiwan and usher astronomical projects, such as the EHT, into the era of big and distributed data science. The PIRE award will fund activities in detector development, in mounting coordinated observations, in fast data transfer between partner institutions, and in cloud computing that will realize the scientific potential of the observations. The project activities, summer schools, and webinars will enable the education of students and early career researchers with internationally collaborative, hands-on experience in state-of-the-art instrumentation technology, high-performance computing, and big data science. The PIRE will also provide critical experience to young researchers in navigating large, complex international collaborations. The tools developed under this PIRE award will be openly available to the broader community to directly benefit all other projects that rely on distributed resources and expertise. The compelling combination of the first images of black holes, the visually stunning results of computer simulations, and the use of virtual reality tools will engage the public in the fascinating astrophysics of black holes and inspire aspiring and future STEM students.Technical Description:The EHT generates data and computational products distributed on a global scale at a rate that pushes the limits of the current infrastructure for sharing and analysis. The proposed PIRE award will support the goal of studying black holes with the EHT at unprecedented angular resolution by funding activities to develop: (i) advanced technologies to increase the efficiency of observations; (ii) algorithms for optimizing the scheduling and triggering of world-wide campaigns; (iii) infrastructure to facilitate fast transfer and sharing large volumes of data among participating institutions; and (iv) cloud computing frameworks to realize the scientific potential of the observations by supporting advanced modeling and analysis efforts. The unique opportunities that the international partners bring to the PIRE project include developing the infrastructure that accelerates the worldwide sharing of data, tools, and resources in order to fundamentally transform the way international and multifaceted collaborations, such as the EHT, are utilized. The proposed PIRE award will engage undergraduates, graduate students, and postdoctoral associates in a three-continent project with annual summer schools alternating between the four member countries. This will be augmented by monthly webinars, hackathons, and regular exchange visits among partner institutions. The educational outcome of this collaboration will be monitored and continuously improved by using advanced assessment tools.