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M. A. Clark

Publications and source records attributed to M. A. Clark.

At least 73 records · Page 4Linked to original sources

QCD on GPUs: cost effective supercomputing

The exponential growth of floating point power in graphics processing units (GPUs), together with their low cost, has given rise to an attractive platform upon which to deploy lattice QCD calculations. GPUs are essentially many (O(100)) core chips, that are programmed using a massively threaded environment, and so are representative of the future of high performance computing (HPC). The large ratio of raw floating point operations per second to memory bandwidth that is characteristic of GPUs necessitates that unique algorithmic design choices are made to harness their full potential. We review the progress to date in using GPUs for large scale calculations, and contrast GPUs against more traditional HPC architectures

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Force Gradient Integrators

We present initial results of the use of Force Gradient integrators for lattice field theories. These promise to give significant performance improvements, especially for light fermions and large lattices. Our results show that this is indeed the case, indicating a speed-up of more than a factor of two, which is expected to increase as the integration step size becomes smaller for larger lattices and smaller fermion masses.

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Tuning HMC using Poisson brackets

We discuss how the integrators used for the Hybrid Monte Carlo (HMC) algorithm not only approximately conserve some Hamiltonian $H$ but exactly conserve a nearby shadow Hamiltonian (\tilde H), and how the difference $ΔH \equiv \tilde H - H $ may be expressed as an expansion in Poisson brackets. By measuring average values of these Poisson brackets over the equilibrium distribution $\propto e^{-H}$ generated by HMC we can find the optimal integrator parameters from a single simulation. We show that a good way of doing this in practice is to minimize the variance of $ΔH$ rather than its magnitude, as has been previously suggested. Some details of how to compute Poisson brackets for gauge and fermion fields, and for nested and force gradient integrators are also presented.

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Physical Results from 2+1 Flavor Domain Wall QCD and SU(2) Chiral Perturbation Theory

We have simulated QCD using 2+1 flavors of domain wall quarks on a $(2.74 {\rm fm})^3$ volume with an inverse lattice scale of $a^{-1} = 1.729(28)$ GeV. The up and down (light) quarks are degenerate in our calculations and we have used four values for the ratio of light quark masses to the strange (heavy) quark mass in our simulations: 0.217, 0.350, 0.617 and 0.884. We have measured pseudoscalar meson masses and decay constants, the kaon bag parameter $B_K$ and vector meson couplings. We have used SU(2) chiral perturbation theory, which assumes only the up and down quark masses are small, and SU(3) chiral perturbation theory to extrapolate to the physical values for the light quark masses. While next-to-leading order formulae from both approaches fit our data for light quarks, we find the higher order corrections for SU(3) very large, making such fits unreliable. We also find that SU(3) does not fit our data when the quark masses are near the physical strange quark mass. Thus, we rely on SU(2) chiral perturbation theory for accurate results. We use the masses of the $Ω$ baryon, and the $π$ and $K$ mesons to set the lattice scale and determine the quark masses. We then find $f_π= 124.1(3.6)_{\rm stat}(6.9)_{\rm syst} {\rm MeV}$, $f_K = 149.6(3.6)_{\rm stat}(6.3)_{\rm syst} {\rm MeV}$ and $f_K/f_π= 1.205(0.018)_{\rm stat}(0.062)_{\rm syst}$. Using non-perturbative renormalization to relate lattice regularized quark masses to RI-MOM masses, and perturbation theory to relate these to $\bar{\rm MS}$ we find $ m_{ud}^{\bar{\rm MS}}(2 {\rm GeV}) = 3.72(0.16)_{\rm stat}(0.33)_{\rm ren}(0.18)_{\rm syst} {\rm MeV}$ and $m_{s}^{\bar{\rm MS}}(2 {\rm GeV}) = 107.3(4.4)_{\rm stat}(9.7)_{\rm ren}(4.9)_{\rm syst} {\rm MeV}$.

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Adaptive Multigrid Algorithm for the QCD Dirac-Wilson Operator

We present a new multigrid solver that is suitable for the Dirac operator in the presence of disordered gauge fields. The key behind the success of the algorithm is an adaptive projection onto the coarse grids that preserves the near null space. The resulting algorithm has weak dependence on the gauge coupling and exhibits mild critical slowing down in the chiral limit. Results are presented for the Wilson Dirac operator of the 2d U(1) Schwinger model.

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Speeding up HMC with better integrators

We discuss how dynamical fermion computations may be made yet cheaper by using symplectic integrators that conserve energy much more accurately without decreasing the integration step size. We first explain why symplectic integrators exactly conserve a ``shadow'' Hamiltonian close to the desired one, and how this Hamiltonian may be computed in terms of Poisson brackets. We then discuss how classical mechanics may be implemented on Lie groups and derive the form of the Poisson brackets and force terms for some interesting integrators such as those making use of second derivatives of the action (Hessian or force gradient integrators). We hope that these will be seen to greatly improve energy conservation for only a small additional cost and that their use will significantly reduce the cost of dynamical fermion computations.

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2+1 flavor domain wall QCD on a (2 fm)^3 lattice: light meson spectroscopy with Ls = 16

We present results for light meson masses and pseudoscalar decay constants from the first of a series of lattice calculations with 2+1 dynamical flavors of domain wall fermions and the Iwasaki gauge action. The work reported here was done at a fixed lattice spacing of about 0.12 fm on a 16^3\times32 lattice, which amounts to a spatial volume of (2 fm)^3 in physical units. The number of sites in the fifth dimension is 16, which gives m_{res} = 0.00308(4) in these simulations. Three values of input light sea quark masses, m_l^{sea} \approx 0.85 m_s, 0.59 m_s and 0.33 m_s were used to allow for extrapolations to the physical light quark limit, whilst the heavier sea quark mass was fixed to approximately the physical strange quark mass m_s. The exact rational hybrid Monte Carlo algorithm was used to evaluate the fractional powers of the fermion determinants in the ensemble generation. We have found that f_π= 127(4) MeV, f_K = 157(5) MeV and f_K/f_π= 1.24(2), where the errors are statistical only, which are in good agreement with the experimental values.

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Accelerating Staggered Fermion Dynamics with the Rational Hybrid Monte Carlo (RHMC) Algorithm

Improved staggered fermion formulations are a popular choice for lattice QCD calculations. Historically, the algorithm used for such calculations has been the inexact R algorithm, which has systematic errors that only vanish as the square of the integration step-size. We describe how the exact Rational Hybrid Monte Carlo (RHMC) algorithm may be used in this context, and show that for parameters corresponding to current state-of-the-art computations it leads to a factor of approximately seven decrease in cost as well as having no step-size errors.

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Asymptotics of Fixed Point Distributions for Inexact Monte Carlo Algorithms

We introduce a simple general method for finding the equilibrium distribution for a class of widely used inexact Markov Chain Monte Carlo algorithms. The explicit error due to the non-commutivity of the updating operators when numerically integrating Hamilton's equations can be derived using the Baker-Campbell-Hausdorff formula. This error is manifest in the conservation of a ``shadow'' Hamiltonian that lies close to the desired Hamiltonian. The fixed point distribution of inexact Hybrid algorithms may then be derived taking into account that the fixed point of the momentum heatbath and that of the molecular dynamics do not coincide exactly. We perform this derivation for various inexact algorithms used for lattice QCD calculations.

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Adaptive Multigrid Algorithm for Lattice QCD

We present a new multigrid solver that is suitable for the Dirac operator in the presence of disordered gauge fields. The key behind the success of the algorithm is an adaptive projection onto the coarse grids that preserves the near null space. The resulting algorithm has weak dependence on the gauge coupling and exhibits very little critical slowing down in the chiral limit. Results are presented for the Wilson Dirac operator of the 2d U(1) Schwinger model.

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First results from 2+1-Flavor Domain Wall QCD: Mass Spectrum, Topology Change and Chiral Symmetry with $L_s=8$

We present results for the static interquark potential, light meson and baryon masses, and light pseudoscalar meson decay constants obtained from simulations of domain wall QCD with one dynamical flavour approximating the $s$ quark, and two degenerate dynamical flavours with input bare masses ranging from $m_s$ to $m_s/4$ approximating the $u$ and $d$ quarks. We compare these quantities obtained using the Iwasaki and DBW2 improved gauge actions, and actions with larger rectangle coefficients, on $16^3\times32$ lattices. We seek parameter values at which both the chiral symmetry breaking residual mass due to the finite lattice extent in the fifth dimension and the Monte Carlo time history for topological charge are acceptable for this set of quark masses at lattice spacings above 0.1 fm. We find that the Iwasaki gauge action is best, demonstrating the feasibility of using QCDOC to generate ensembles which are good representations of the QCD path integral on lattices of up to 3 fm in spatial extent with lattice spacings in the range 0.09-0.13 fm. Despite large residual masses and a limited number of sea quark mass values with which to perform chiral extrapolations, our results for light hadronic physics scale and agree with experimental measurements within our statistical uncertainties.

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Study of the finite temperature transition in 3-flavor QCD using the R and RHMC algorithms

We study the finite temperature transition in QCD with three flavors of equal masses using the R and RHMC algorithm on lattices with temporal extent N_τ=4 and 6. For the transition temperature in the continuum limit we find r_0 T_c=0.429(8) for the light pseudo-scalar mass corresponding to the end point of the 1st order transition region. When comparing the results obtained with the R and RHMC algorithms for p4fat3 action we see no significant step-size errors down to a lightest pseudo-scalar mass of m_{ps} r_0=0.4.

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The Rational Hybrid Monte Carlo Algorithm

The past few years have seen considerable progress in algorithmic development for the generation of gauge fields including the effects of dynamical fermions. The Rational Hybrid Monte Carlo (RHMC) algorithm, where Hybrid Monte Carlo is performed using a rational approximation in place the usual inverse quark matrix kernel is one of these developments. This algorithm has been found to be extremely beneficial in many areas of lattice QCD (chiral fermions, finite temperature, Wilson fermions etc.). We review the algorithm and some of these benefits, and we compare against other recent algorithm developements. We conclude with an update of the Berlin wall plot comparing costs of all popular fermion formulations.

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Testing Algorithms for Finite Temperature Lattice QCD

We discuss recent algorithmic improvements in simulating finite temperature QCD on a lattice. In particular, the Rational Hybrid Monte Carlo(RHMC) algorithm is employed to generate lattice configurations for 2+1 flavor QCD. Unlike the Hybrid R Algorithm, RHMC is reversible, admitting a Metropolis accept/reject step that eliminates the $\mathcal{O}(δt^2)$ errors inherent in the R Algorithm. We also employ several algorithmic speed-ups, including multiple time scales, the use of a more efficient numerical integrator, and Hasenbusch pre-conditioning of the fermion force.

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Accelerating Dynamical Fermion Computations using the Rational Hybrid Monte Carlo (RHMC) Algorithm with Multiple Pseudofermion Fields

There has been much recent progress in the understanding and reduction of the computational cost of the Hybrid Monte Carlo algorithm for Lattice QCD as the quark mass parameter is reduced. In this letter we present a new solution to this problem, where we represent the fermionic determinant using (n) pseudofermion fields, each with an (\nth) root kernel. We implement this within the framework of the Rational Hybrid Monte Carlo (RHMC) algorithm. We compare this algorithm with other recent methods in this area and find it is competitive with them.

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Light meson masses and decay constants in 2+1 flavour domain wall QCD

We present results for light meson masses and psedoscalar meson decay constants in 2+1 flavour domain wall QCD with the DBW2 and Iwasaki gauge actions, using lattices with linear sizes in the range 1.6 to 2.2fm and $u$ and $d$ quark masses as low as one quarter of the strange quark mass. All data were generated on the QCDOC machines at the University of Edinburgh and Brookhaven National Laboratory. Despite large residual masses and a limited number of sea quark mass values with which to perform chiral extrapolations, our results agree with experiment and scale within errors.

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Baryons in 2+1 flavour domain wall QCD

We present results for some of the light baryon masses and their excited states in 2+1 flavour domain wall QCD. We considered several lattice spacings, with the DBW2 and Iwasaki gauge actions and different sea quark masses on a volume of $16^3\times32$ and a fifth dimension of size 8. All data were generated on the QCDOC machines. Despite large residual massses and a limited number of sea quark mass values with which to perform chiral extrapolations, our results are in reasonable agreement with experiment and scale within errors. Finite size effects on most ensembles appear to be small.

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Algorithm Shootout: R versus RHMC

We present initial results comparing the RHMC and R algorithms on large lattices with small quark masses using chiral fermions. We also present results concerning staggered fermions near the deconfinement/chiral phase transition. We find that the RHMC algorithm not only eliminates the step-size error of the R algorithm, but is also considerably more efficient. We discuss several possibilities for further improvement to the RHMC algorithm.

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