Project description
Advanced model to describe the planetary space environment
Funded by the European Research Council, the TerraVirtualE project aims to develop a particle model that describes the planetary space environment and how it is affected by solar storms. This is crucial for protecting infrastructure from such storms. Researchers will use the particle-in-cell model, where both ions and electrons are treated as particles. Furthermore, they will use the energy-conserving semi-implicit method (ECsim) to ensure energy conservation and numerical stability. Project activities will also involve enhancing adaptive spatial and temporal resolution and CPU-GPU algorithms designed for new supercomputers. These advancements should enable ECsim to model vast areas, equivalent to Earth’s space environment, using computers expected within 3 to 5 years.
Objective
The question about how solar storms impact a planet has both fundamental scientific importance and great
social impacts for protecting our infrastructure from the most powerful solar storms. At present, models rely
on a fluid description of the electrons due to algorithmic and computational challenges. Our goal is to develop
a model of the space environment around a planet based on a particle description of both ions and electrons.
We plan to use the particle in cell (PIC) model where both ions and electrons retain their nature as particles.
This PIC model will allow us to investigate the critical role of energetic electrons participating in the energy
and matter transfer from the solar wind to the planet inner space.
What makes this goal now possible is the Energy Conserving semi implicit method (ECsim), developed by
the PI. The ECsim conserves energy exactly, a critical element in the investigation of energy flow from the
solar wind. In addition, the energy conservation leads to enhanced numerical stability, which in turn greatly
augment ECsim’s capability to simulate very large systems such as planet atmospheres while treating electrons
as particles rather than fluid. We will start from this new development and introduce two critical innovations.
First, we will implement adaptive spatial and temporal resolution for finer resolution closer to the planet and
in selected areas of interest. Second, we will implement CPU-GPU algorithms for the new heterogeneous
supercomputers developed by EuroHPC.
These innovations will increase the capability of ECsim by more than an order of magnitude making it possible
to model a region as big as the Earth space environment with the computers available within the next 3-5 years.
If successful, we will have the first PIC model to describe a planetary space environment where the correct
particle nature of the electrons is considered with all its implication for the energy and matter transport.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques.
- natural sciencesphysical sciencesastronomyplanetary sciencesplanets
- engineering and technologyelectrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineeringelectronic engineeringcomputer hardwaresupercomputers
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Programme(s)
- HORIZON.1.1 - European Research Council (ERC) Main Programme
Topic(s)
Funding Scheme
HORIZON-ERC - HORIZON ERC GrantsHost institution
3000 Leuven
Belgium