Lumina cosmic simulation development

Researchers from institutions including MIT, Harvard, and the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard and Smithsonian have introduced Lumina, a massive cosmic simulation designed to model two billion years of early universe evolution. Spanning a volume of approximately 1.5 billion light-years, the model is over 100 times larger than previous comparable models, allowing for the study of large-scale cosmic structures alongside individual galaxies.

Executed on the Frontier supercomputer at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, the simulation tracks the coupled evolution of galaxies, dark matter, gas, and black holes. It specifically models the reionization of hydrogen and helium, processes where radiation from the first stars and growing black holes stripped electrons from atoms. This radiation-hydrodynamic model tracks how ultraviolet light transitioned the cosmos from an opaque state to one where light could travel freely, while also modeling the role of massive black holes and quasars in helium reionization.

Led by researcher Oliver Zier, the project serves as a critical tool for astronomers to compare theoretical predictions with real-world observations from instruments such as the James Webb Space Telescope and the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope. This comparison is intended to help address recent discrepancies where observed galaxies appeared more massive or numerous than previous models predicted, ultimately helping to refine cosmological theories.