Recently, physicists, computer scientists and software engineers from around the world gathered at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) for the first hands-on workshop on Phlex, the next-generation software framework being developed for the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE). The event was made possible by a collaboration between Rice Global India, HSF-India and DUNE-TECH, a Department of Energy-funded DUNE training and workforce development program led by Rice University.
DUNE will send an intense beam of neutrinos from Fermilab, near Chicago, 1,300 kilometers through the Earth to giant liquid-argon detectors nearly a mile underground in South Dakota, while scientists observe how the neutrinos change along the way. Researchers hope this experiment will help them understand why the universe is made of matter rather than antimatter.
DUNE relies on complex software to collect and analyze its data. The Parallel, Hierarchical and Layered EXecution of data-processing algorithms (Phlex) lets physicists write their algorithms once and run them efficiently on modern computing resources. Attendees, for the first time, were able to use and explore Phlex as users.
“The workshop demonstrated that Phlex’s conceptual design makes sense to those who have not worked with data-processing frameworks before. The workshop also provided valuable feedback to the Phlex developers, enabling them to improve the user experience,” said Kyle Knoepfel, a Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory scientist and Phlex developer.
Participants also learned about AI and machine-learning libraries that are increasingly central to high-energy physics analysis, and they attended lectures on neutrinos and DUNE.
“Rice Global India’s key contribution has been to help bring these communities together and create a platform for engagement between Rice, IISc and students and researchers across India,” said Sudhir K. Vempati, a professor at IISc. “A gathering like this gives people the opportunity to discover shared research interests and begin conversations that could develop into meaningful partnerships.”
“The Phlex workshop provided an excellent opportunity for the IISc DUNE group to develop expertise in Phlex and scientific computing,” said Biswaranjan Behera, a fellow at IISc. “We aim to translate this into concrete contributions to DUNE by building a sustainable research program at IISc and strengthening India’s contribution to the collaboration”
“This event brought people from 15 different institutions across India, and Rice University was the incubator to bring this research community to put its hands on leading projects. This was also made possible by the close collaboration with the HSF-India project,” said Aaron Higuera, an assistant research professor at Rice and chair and lead organizer of the event.
HSF-India is a National Science Foundation project that connects collaborative networks in India with those in the U.S. and Europe to build the international partnerships necessary for next-generation particle, nuclear and astroparticle physics experiments.
“As DUNE moves toward data-taking, the workshop helped build a community of scientists in India and beyond who are ready to contribute to DUNE and its next-generation framework,” Higuera said. “It also strengthened the research-software ties between India and the U.S.”