Science and engineering impact

Visualization of rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus

Simulations carried out using Blue Waters have determined the structure of the rabbit hemorrhagic disease virus (RHDV), which causes a highly infectious and often fatal illness in domestic and wild rabbits. This research, carried out collaboratively by researchers at the University of Illinois, the University of California-San Diego and several Chinese research institutions, has been published in PLOS Pathogens.

All-atom model of the hexameric form of the CA protein as found in cylindrical assemblies of HIV capsids in vitro. This model has been determined using the Blue Waters Early Science System, and experimental (x-ray and cryo-EM) measurements.
Read more about Blue Waters ESS results

The Type Ia supernova ignition point, which is converting large amounts of carbon-12 into heavier elements by nuclear fusion.
Read more about Blue Waters ESS results

The sustained-petaflop computing power provided by the Blue Waters project will allow scientists and engineers to make extraordinary leaps in knowledge and discovery.

Many research teams have already begun to achieve results using the Early Science System, 15% of the full Blue Waters system that was available for research use in spring 2012. Illinois biophysicist Klaus Schulten use the ESS to study the HIV protein capsid in atomic detail and reported that, "Not in our wildest dreams could we have imagined the greatness of the new...machine. We are sure Blue Waters will make science and engineering history." Read more about some of the outstanding results achieved using the Blue Waters Early Science System.

More than 30 teams with Petascale Computing Resource Allocations are preparing to use the full Blue Waters system. They will conduct petascale research aimed at gaining new insights into hurricanes and tornadoes, supernovae, the formation of galaxies, earthquakes, and more.

PRAC teams studying: Astrophysics/Cosmology

Computational relativity and gravitation at petascale: Simulating and visualizing astrophysically realistic compact binaries 
Principal investigator(s): Manuela Campanelli, Rochester Institute of Technology

Enabling science at the petascale: From binary systems and stellar core collapse to gamma-ray bursts
Principal investigator(s): Peter Diener, Louisiana State University

Peta-Cosmology: galaxy formation and virtual astronomy
Principal investigator(s): Kentaro Nagamine, University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Formation of the first galaxies: predictions for the next generation of observatories 
Principal investigator(s): Brian O'Shea, Michigan State University

Read the Access story: Leaving the dark days

Modeling heliophysics and astrophysics phenomena with a multi-scale fluid-kinetic simulation suite
Principal investigator(s): Nikolai Pogorelov, University of Alabama in Huntsville

Evolution of the small galaxy population from high redshift to the present
Principal investigator(s): Thomas Quinn, University of Washington

Ab initio models of solar activity
Principal investigator(s): Robert Stein, Michigan State University

Petascale simulation of turbulent stellar hydrodynamics
Principal investigator(s): Paul Woodward, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities

Read the Access story: Powering new discoveries

Type Ia supernovae
Principal investigator(s): Stanford Woosley, University of California Observatories; Michael Zingale, State University of New York at Stony Brook; John Bell, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory

Read about Stanford Woosley's recent results using the Blue Waters Early Science System