We just love some good, intriguing Universe simulations, right? Well, how about simulating the grand Universe 1000 times faster?
A team of bold scientists from the Flatiron Institute have come up with a method to simulate the Universe 1000 times faster, which could totally change the cosmologists’ work.
Here is what you need to know.
A 500 Million Light Year Swath of the Universe in Just 36 Minutes
The team of scientists led by Dr Yin Li has developed an intriguing technique of simulating the Universe. They used an AI method dubbed GAN (generative adversarial network) and two competing algorithms. The result?
Both algorithms have become much more precise naturally on their own. Initially, they had different purposes.
For example, one algorithm took low-resolution images of just a part of the Universe to develop high-resolution shots that matched observed reality. The second one tried to show if a particular area of the Universe was made by the first algorithm or developed via computationally intensive techniques. Quite complicated, right?
Final Result
The team needed two years to develop the new technique. However, their first results were better than expected and came as a huge surprise to Dr Li. He and his team couldn’t differentiate the simulations made by their algorithms compared to those developed by more conventional techniques in blind trials.
How will the new method help us?
Of course, there is still more work until we reach a more confident level of confronting the Universe. Currently, the simulations only accounts for dark matter and gravity. Scientists will soon start to focus more on modelling star formation and supernovae, as well.
Even if dark matter and gravity are among the biggest components in the Universe, there are still other cosmic features, like the normal matter and electromagnetic force, worth simulating.
The Universe might be full of surprises, but not for long.