High performance computing for synchotron radiation research

Abstract

The highly intense X-Rays produced by a third generation light source like the ESRF are used for probing condensed matter in many different ways and in a stunning array of different scientific domains. As a service institute, the ESRF invites more than 5000 scientists per year for carrying out peer reviewed experiments in addition to an internal world-class scientific programme. The ESRF is a typical example in the scientific landscape where science and computing are intimately coupled and interdependent. New experiments are becoming possible because of an enabling high-performance computing environment; other experiments push the computing infrastructure to the limits and encourage us to explore new ways of staying abreast an unprecedented data avalanche.

In this talk I will make a short virtual visit to the ESRF, providing some key figures to situate the laboratory within the international context of synchrotron radiation sources. Based on examples of data intensive experiments in protein crystallography and high-resolution imaging, I will show the current technologies in place and high-light the areas which will require substantial change and investment in the near future. I will conclude my talk by emphasising the need for international collaborations to address challenges like remote experiment control, remote data analysis, data curation, and the creation of a Virtual Organisation to federate the computing needs of the Synchrotron Radiation community.