ASTRID traces 13.5 billion years of black hole and galaxy evolution

Researchers completed the largest cosmological hydrodynamic simulation, called ASTRID, that traces the evolution of the universe from its earliest time to the present, designated as z = 0. The simulation, which used the Frontera supercomputer, models 166 billion particles across a volume of space 815 million light-years across. The simulation captures the growth of black holes from their formation all the way to today, as well as the galaxies that form. The data input/output process for ASTRID was computationally demanding, with each simulation snapshot totaling 30 terabytes. The Frontera supercomputer provided the computational power to run the simulation.

• ASTRID traces 13.5 billion years of black hole and galaxy evolution.
• The simulation uses 166 billion particles across 815 million light-years.
• The simulation captures the growth of black holes from their formation to today, as well as the formation of galaxies.

The ASTRID simulations provide insights into the formation and evolution of black holes and galaxies, and enable predictions of gravitational waves. The simulations can evolve the universe across cosmic history, revealing the periods when black hole mergers were most common. The simulations include dynamical friction models that improve the resolution of how a black hole gradually sinks into the galactic center when a galaxy merger occurs. The simulations also enable predictions of gravitational waves, which can pass through matter that blocks light, offering a new way to probe the universe's most distant and hidden events, including the mergers of massive black holes. The ASTRID simulations allow for predictions of gravitational-wave sources that are most likely to be detected, and the team has made predictions for galaxy evolution for large surveys currently running.

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