Research Computing
The High Energy Physics (HEP) Research Computing Group at the University of Victoria is actively engaged in a variety of projects for the analysis of data from particle physics experiments as well as providing advice to researchers in other fields. Our areas of expertise include high-speed networks, management of large scale data storage, virtualization, grid and cloud computing. Our current activities include:
HEPnet/Canada
HEPnet/Canada provides support for wide area networking in High Energy and Nuclear physics research across Canada. HEPnet/Canada and CANARIE have established a network for ATLAS computing facilities in Canada. HEPnet/Canada and our collaborators are exploring the next generation of high-speed network technology. At the SuperComputing 2011 (SC11) conference in Seattle, our project transferred data at a rate of 186 gigabits per second (Gbps) in a wide-area network circuit. At SuperComputing 2012 in Salt Lake City, we set up multiple 100 Gpbs links to study the transfer to data from a number of sites (including UVIC) to the conference. (see SC Demo ).
Cloud Computing
Our group has been active in studies of virtualization and cloud computing for HEP. We have studied the use of these technologies for HEP applications. We currently operate a distributed compute cloud (grid of clouds) for the ATLAS experiment using resources in Canada, United States, Europe and Australia.
In addition, we have helped build the BaBar Long Term Data Access (LTDA) System that will use virtualization to help maintain the BaBar data and software environment for many years. We also provide support for the Canadian Advanced Network for Astronomical Research (CANFAR) Project which uses virtualization and clouds for astronomical analysis.
ATLAS, Belle-II and BaBar Computing
The particle physics group at UVIC are involved in the ATLAS experiment at the LHC collider facility at CERN in Geneva, the Belle-II experimet at the KEK Laboratory in Japan and the BaBar experiment at the SLAC National Laboratory at Stanford University. We host computing facilities, used by the two international collaborations, that are situated in the University of Victoria's Research Computing Facility. Both experiments use the facility to generate simulated data and to analyze the data collected from the detectors.