We're part of an international team of astronomers who have carried out the biggest ever computer simulations from the Big Bang to the present day to investigate how the Universe evolved.
The FLAMINGO simulations calculate the evolution of all the components of the Universe – ordinary matter, like stars and planets, dark matter and dark energy – based on the laws of physics.
Precise detail
As the simulations progress, virtual galaxies and galaxy clusters emerge in precise detail.
It's hope hoped the simulations will allow researchers to compare the virtual Universe with observations of the real thing being captured by new high-powered telescopes, like the James Webb Space telescope.
This could help scientists understand if the standard model of cosmology – used to explain the evolution of the Universe – provides an accurate description of reality.
Ordinary matter
Previous simulations, which have been compared to observations of the Universe, have focused on cold dark matter - believed to be a key component of the structure of the cosmos.
However, astronomers now say that the effects of ordinary matter, which makes up only sixteen per cent of all matter in the Universe, and neutrinos, tiny particles that rarely interact with normal matter, also need to be taken into account when trying to understand the Universe's evolution.
The FLAMINGO simulations, carried out on the Cosmology Machine supercomputer at Durham over the past two years, tracked the formation of the Universe's structure in dark matter, ordinary matter and neutrinos, following the standard model of physics.
The team ran the simulations using different resolutions and also altered other factors such as the strength of galactic winds and the mass of the neutrinos.
The first results showed that the inclusion of ordinary matter and neutrinos in the simulations was essential for making accurate predictions.
Interpreting new data
New telescopes, such as the international "Dark Energy Survey Instrument" (in which Durham is a partner) and the European Space Agency's Euclid space telescope, are collecting huge amounts of data about galaxies, quasars and stars, and these observations are posing questions about the theories behind the current understanding of the evolution of the Universe.
Simulations like FLAMINGO will play a key role in interpreting these data by comparing theoretical predictions with observational data.
