Performance modeling for concurrent particle simulations

Citation

Rieffel, Marc A. (1998) Performance modeling for concurrent particle simulations. Dissertation (Ph.D.), California Institute of Technology. doi:10.7907/sx57-5d89. https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechETD:etd-01242008-132610

Abstract

This thesis develops an application- and architecture-independent framework for predicting the runtime and memory requirements of particle simulations in complex three-dimensional geometries. Both sequential and concurrent simulations are addressed, on a variety of homogeneous and heterogeneous architectures. The models are considered in the context of neutral flow Direct Simulation Monte Carlo (DSMC) simulations for semiconductor manufacturing and aerospace applications.

Complex physical and chemical processes render algorithmic analysis alone insufficient for understanding the performance characteristics of particle simulations. For this reason, detailed knowledge of the interaction between the physics and chemistry of a problem and the numerical method used to solve it is required.

Prediction of runtime and storage requirements of sequential and concurrent particle simulations is possible with the use of these models. The feasibility of simulations for given physical systems can also be determined. While the present work focuses on the concurrent DSMC method, the same modeling techniques can be applied to other numerical methods, such as Particle-In-Cell (PIC) and Navier-Stokes (NS).

Thesis Files