An international team of astronomers has performed the largest ever computer simulation of the evolution of the Universe, covering both dark and ordinary matter. The study was published in the scientific journal magazine Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society (MNRAS).
The simulation, called FLAMINGO, calculated the evolution of space components in accordance with the laws of physics. The simulation uses 300 billion resolution elements (particles with the mass of a small galaxy) in a cubic volume with sides ten billion light-years across.
Calculations taking into account ordinary baryonic (ordinary) matter required a lot of computing power. Although baryonic matter makes up only 16% of the current Universe, it is affected not only by gravity but also by gas pressure. This effect could lead to matter being ejected from galaxies via black holes and supernovae.
The strength of these intergalactic winds depends on explosions in the interstellar medium, making them very difficult to predict. In addition, it is necessary to take into account the influence of neutrinos – subatomic particles of low mass – whose motion has not yet been modeled.
Initial results showed that both neutrinos and ordinary matter were required for accurate predictions, but did not resolve discrepancies between different cosmological observations.
In the future, computer learning will help astronomers predict various cosmic events.
Previous modeling showedthat turbulent flows will hinder air taxis in cities.