Astronomers try to map universe (in minutes) in a normal laptop

New emulator uses it to reproduce complex cosmic models accurately, let alone computational resources.

Maping the universe has always required supercomputers and weeks of calculations, but a new emulator promises to change this paradigm.

Called Effort.jl, the program can reproduce complex cosmic models in only minutes and in a common laptopapproaching the exploration of the cosmos of any investigator.

Map the vastness of the universe has been one of the biggest challenges in modern cosmology, demanding complex theoretical models and a huge processing power.

So far, create a “3D skeleton” of the cosmos – based on the observable distribution of galaxies – implied weeks of calculations and supercomputers.

An international team of investigators claims to have found a more affordable solution: Effort.jl emulator.

Traditionally, astronomers resort to models such as the effective field theory of large -scale structure (EFTOFLSS) to statistically describe the structure of the universe at large scales, ignoring smaller phenomena.

These models allow us to infer invisible patterns based on the observable portions of the cosmos. However, the colossal volume of data and the complexity of the calculations make the slow and expensive processremember.

To overcome this obstacle, Effort.jl uses neuronal networks trained with the theoretical models themselvesreproducing your predictions with a minimum consumption of resources.

Like Marco Bonici, from the University of Waterloo, the idea resembles to study the Microscopic Water Behavior: Theoretically possible but impractical if you try to calculate each particle in motion.

Emulators act as a shortcut – They do not understand underlying physics, but recognize patterns and produce results compatible with those of traditional models.

Showed that Effort.JL can match the accuracy of Eftoflss in Just a few minutessomething that previously required hours or days intensive processing.

One of the innovations is in the way the emulator deals with changes in astronomical parameters: the algorithm It was conceived for consider from the beginning the possible variationswhich allows you Learn with less examples and generalize for unpublished combinations.

This approach dramatically reduces the necessary computational power, opening the door to which any personal computer can perform complex cosmological predictions.

According to the study’s authors, Effort.jl was validated with simulated and real datapresenting results consistent with those of the reference model.

If this technology is adopted broadly, it can democratize the exploration of the cosmos, allowing Researchers anywhere in the world test hypotheses and explore astronomical data in almost real time – all from a common laptop.