Extensible Terascale Facility (ETF): Bringing Neutron Science to the TeraGrid

Oak Ridge National Laboratory is funded by a three-year Cooperative Agreement from the Division of Advanced Computational Infrastructure in the amount of $3,898,743 to integrate the neutron scattering resources available at Oak Ridge National Laboratory with the Extensible Terascale Facility (ETF). Funding is provided to establish a 10-gigabit/second connection from ORNL through a newly created ETF hub to be located in Atlanta.

Neutron scattering provides a unique probe of the structure and dynamics of materials. It is widely used in numerous scientific fields including: nanoscience, genomics and proteomics, polymer science, chemistry, soft condensed matter, biotechnology, biology, materials science, metallurgy, solid-state physics, semiconductor manufacturing, engineering and earth sciences. As a result of the funding provided through this Terascale Extension Award, ORNL and its university partners (Duke University, Florida State University, Georgia Institute of technology, North Carolina State University, University of Tennessee, University of Virginia, and Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University) will bring neutron science to the TeraGrid through a Southeastern TeraGrid Extensions for Neutron Science, or SETENS. SETENS will be put into place by: 1) establishing a high-bandwidth communication link from ORNL to the Chicago ETF hub, 2) deploying the TeraGrid Common Software Stack on the IBM Power-4 and High Performance Storage System in ORNL'S Center for Computational Sciences, 3) developing and deploying the new grid middleware needed to support integration of the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR) and the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) into the TeraGrid, and 4) developing and deploying grid-enabled versions of the distributed Data Analysis for Neutron Scattering Experiments (DANSE) software system.

SETENS will have a broader impact than simply providing ETF scientific users with access to ORNL's neutron resources. The proposed extension of the TeraGrid through Atlanta will facilitate future regional and national networking efforts, including the Southern Crossroads, National Lambda Rail, and other high-performance research and general user networks. SETENS will accelerate the knowledge, teaching, learning, and success of grid technologies by providing clear early prospects for successful applications. Through the involvement of the university partners, SETENS will spur education in computer, computational and neutron science and engineering research areas as part of the accomplishment of the scientific neutron scattering research.