Title： From CPUs to GPUs: Transforming Star Formation Simulations with QUOKKA

Speaker: Chong-Chong He  (Australian National University)

Abstract:
Star formation is a fundamental process in astrophysics that drives galaxy evolution, synthesizes heavy elements, and enables the formation of planets and life. Large-scale numerical simulations on parallel CPU cores have been crucial for predicting and interpreting astronomical observations. As supercomputers are increasingly dominated by GPUs, adapting our code to this architecture is essential for scaling up these simulations. In this talk, I will give an overview of the state of the art in numerical methods for star formation simulations. I will then introduce my ongoing work on the development of QUOKKA, a next-generation, GPU-native, adaptive mesh refinement radiation-MHD code. The QUOKKA project aims to simulate star formation in isolated galaxies with unprecedented resolution and fidelity, addressing some of the key open questions in the field of star formation.

Bio:
ChongChong He is a Postdoctoral Fellow at the Research School of Astronomy & Astrophysics at The Australian National University. Dr. He earned his Ph.D. in Astronomy from the University of Maryland, College Park in 2023. Prior to that, he obtained B.S. in Physics from Jilin University in 2016. His research has been focused on computational methods and numerical studies of star formation and feedback processes. Together with Mark Krumholz, ChongChong is developing GPU-optimized numerical methods for star formation and galaxy evolution simulations.  His work has been recognized with well-regarded grants, including the Future Investigators in NASA Earth and Space Science and Technology award, as well as allocations on leading supercomputing facilities in Australia and the United States.