Supercomputing and the transformation of science

Numéro d'article 10123650

William J. Kaufmann III, San Diego State University Larry L. Smarr, National Center for Supercomputing Applications and the University of Illinois The development of the supercomputer has given scientists an awesome new capability: the power to virtually re-create the physical world on the computer screen, with a stunning degree of precision and sophistication. Everything from weather systems to biochemical interactions to car crashes to air pollution to high-speed subatomic particle collisions can now be simulated, manipulated, and observed at the scientist’s will. As a result, supercomputers have led to profound levels of insight and understanding. Indeed, they have revolutionized the very process of scientific discovery itself. Scientists no longer have to rely exclusively on either experiment-based or theoretical research methodologies, but rather can utilize both direct observation and mathematical modeling to visualize and simulate complex phenomena. The fascinating, strikingly illustrated SUPERCOMPUTING AND THE TRANSFORMATION OF SCIENCE provides a state-of-the-art look at the capabilities and scientific contributions of the most powerful computers. Written by noted science author William Kaufmann and supercomputing expert Larry Smarr, the book examines the hardware, software, and techniques of supercomputing, showing how these powerful machines “solve” the mathematical laws that govern natural phenomena and convert the numbers into comprehensible visual images. The book then explores the impact of this extraordinary technology on a wide range of endeavors from medicine to environmental protection, from particle physics to astronomy, from automobile design to meteorology. The computer revolution continues to surge ahead. Reporting from the leading edge of that revolution, SUPERCOMPUTING AND THE TRANSFORMATION OF SCIENCE shows us how far we have come in devising ways to understand the world in which we live. It is a celebration of the drive for knowledge that led to the development of the first computer not so long ago. ABOUT THE AUTHORS WILLIAM J. KAUFMANN III is a professor in the Physics Department at San Diego State University, a well-known astronomer specializing in the study of black holes, and author of numerous books, including BLACK HOLES AND WARPED SPACETIME and the best-selling textbooks UNIVERSE and DISCOVERING THE UNIVERSE. An internationally recognized pioneer in computational astrophysics for the last two decades, LARRY L. SMARR is a leading advocate for the increased use of supercomputing not only in basic research, but in confronting industrial, medical, and environmental challenges. He is Director of the National Center for Supercomputing Applications, as well as Professor of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Illinois. Cover image: A supercomputer simulation of the collision between two neutron stars shows the outer material of the stars (blue and purple) being blown off by an outgoing shock wave. The simulation was performed by Charles R. Evans of the University of North Carolina on the Cray X-MP at the National Center for Supercomputing Applications, with the assistance of NCSA graphics specialist Ray Idazak. SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN LIBRARY

pp. 240