Astrophysicists have developed a simulation of the universe through computers. They believe this simulation can produce a more realistic resolution and higher than before.
The model, dubbed Illustris: The Next Generation (IllustrisTNG), has the potential to revolutionize the way scientists learn about the form of galaxies and supermassive black holes.
The researchers developed this model led by Volker Springel of the Heidelberg Institute for Theoretical Studies in Germany, including researchers from Harvard, MIT, Columbia, and Max Planck Centers for Astronomy and Astrophysics. According Naiman, IllustrisTNG is a cross-sector, cross-institutional, and cross-country collaboration.
A series of papers are published in the December 2017 Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society that describe their work. In one of the papers the researchers wrote that the simulations of the universe significantly expanded the scope of larger simulations with higher resolution.
Naiman said that IllustrationTNG includes new observational data, and allows astrophysicists to study the interaction of a number of galaxies rather than to analyze the isolated ones. In addition, the TNG Illustration addresses some of the challenges researchers face when using previous models, such as data reproduction capabilities and processing speed.
IllustrationTNG is like having 24,000 processors like the fastest computers in Germany and this is a big scale simulation. This model, starting from entering physical parameters based on areas of interest by researchers and using parameters to generate simulated data about large-scale processes in the universe.
According to Naiman this is a very good idea and people will be interested because it strongly supports flexibility.