LANS Informal Seminar: Anshu Dubey

Seminar Title: The FLASH Code and Two Decades of Science
Speaker: Anshu Dubey, Computer Scientist, Argonne National Laboratory

Date/Time: 2018-04-18 10:30
Location: Bldg. 240, 4301

Description:
The FLASH code is a component-based multiphysics scientific simulation software package with a wide user base. It has evolved into a modular and extensible scientific simulation software system over two decades of its existence. During this time it has been cumulatively used by over a thousand researchers to investigate problems in astrophysics, cosmology, solar physics, computational fluid dynamics, high-energy density physics, and in some areas of basic physics, such as turbulence. The code started its life as an amalgamation of already existing software and has evolved through a mixture of incremental and deep infrastructural changes. In the process, it has undergone four major revisions, three of which involved a significant architectural advancement. Along the way, a software process evolved that addresses the issues of code verification, maintainability and support for the expanding user base. The software process also resolves the conflicts arising out of being in development and production simultaneously with multiple research projects, and between performance and portability. In this presentation I will describe the architecture, capabilities and software process of the FLASH code. I will also present examples of simulations from various research communities using FLASH in terms of components utilized and customizations done. Additionally, I will discuss the synergies that exist among FLASH’s communities and how they enhance the value of the code to science overall.