Lattice QCD Computing

Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) describes how quarks and gluons interact via the strong force and predicts in principle the masses of their bound states, known as hadrons. Such predictions are beyond the reach of the traditional methods of quantum field theory and can only be done by the numerical simulation of QCD on a lattice of space-time points ("Lattice QCD"). Substantial computing resources must be applied to these simulations.

The Computing Division builds and operates large clusters of computers for lattice quantum chromodynamics, as part of the national computational infrastructure for lattice QCD project established by the Department of Energy. The division currently operates three high performance clusters with an aggregate sustained performance of 3.8 TFlops. The division is also a participant in a DOE SciDAC-2 program devoted to the improvement of software for lattice gauge computing.

Since high performance computing continues to emerge as an important strategy, the Computing Division provides guidance and operations for diverse scientific areas such as computational cosmology, accelerator modeling and electromagnetic cavity design. We anticipate that our expertise in high performance computing will be adopted by other areas too, such as Monte Carlo simulations for physics and detector design. 

More Information: Fermilab Lattice Gauge Theory Computational Facility, Fermilab Lattice QCD Computing Hardware, Fermilab LQCD Cluster Status,  USQCD Home, SciDAC Lattice Program