Image Courtesy: Global Times
An international research team led by Chinese scientists has unveiled what is described as the largest cosmological simulation ever created, offering a detailed digital model of how the universe evolved over billions of years. The project, named HyperMillennium, recreates the formation of cosmic structures at a scale and precision not previously achieved.
The simulation was developed by researchers at the National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences and models the universe using 4.2 trillion virtual particles. It tracks cosmic evolution across roughly 13.8 billion years, starting shortly after the Big Bang and following the development of large scale structures such as galaxies and cosmic filaments, as reported by Global Times.
HyperMillennium simulates a massive volume of space, covering a cube measuring 12 billion light years on each side. Using a computational method known as N body simulation, the system calculates how gravity shapes matter over time, particularly focusing on dark matter, which plays a central role in structuring the universe. The result is a detailed virtual model of the cosmic web, the vast network of galaxies and clusters that define the large scale structure of the universe.
The project required significant computational resources, including more than 100 million CPU core hours and millions of accelerator card hours. It generated around 13 petabytes of data, all processed using domestically developed supercomputers and specialized software designed for high efficiency calculations.
Researchers say the simulation will support studies into dark matter, dark energy, and other fundamental aspects of cosmology. It is also expected to complement major observational programs such as the China Space Station Telescope and the Euclid mission, which aim to map the universe with increasing precision.
Scientists outside China have described the project as a major technical achievement. Experts note that the scale and resolution of the simulation allow for more accurate predictions about how galaxies form and evolve, as well as how rare cosmic objects are distributed across the universe.
The first research findings from HyperMillennium have been published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, and initial datasets have already been released to the global scientific community. This open access approach is expected to enable further research and collaboration across institutions worldwide.
The development marks a significant step forward in computational cosmology, providing a powerful tool for testing theories about the universe and interpreting data from next generation space observations.