Author: jcasals

We are pleased to announce the release of the new CosmoHub frontend. This major update brings a modernized interface and significant improvements to data visualization, including enhanced plotting tools, support for HEALPix maps, and plotting of array-based data. The update also introduces a brand-new Workbench section, among other enhancements.

This effort has been led by Alex Luelmo and Pau Tallada, with valuable input and support from the entire CosmoHub team. We invite the community to explore the new features, enjoy the large amount of data already available, and share any feedback that can help us continue improving the platform.

https://cosmohub.pic.es

The Spanish material science community celebrated a major milestone today with the inauguration of In-CAEM (In situ Correlative Facility for Advanced Energy Materials) at the ALBA Synchrotron. While the facility is poised to revolutionize the development of environmentally sustainable technologies such as green hydrogen, advanced batteries or solar panels, its success relies heavily on a critical backbone: advanced data processing provided by PIC.

In-CAEM is designed to observe materials at the atomic scale under real operating conditions (“operando”). However, the true innovation lies in its correlative analysis capabilities. By combining state-of-the-art microscopy with synchrotron light, researchers can view materials through multiple technological lenses simultaneously. This approach will generate an unprecedented volume of complex, multi-layered data that will require fast, high-performance data processing to be analyzed.

This is where the role of PIC becomes decisive. As a key partner in the consortium with ALBA, ICN2 and ICMAB, PIC has engineered the integration of scientific instrumentation directly with high-performance data analysis resources. This infrastructure ensures that the massive data streams generated by the new microscopes and beamlines are not just stored, but efficiently processed and analyzed alongside complex simulations.

This seamless connection between large-scale experimental infrastructure and digital analysis addresses one of the biggest challenges in modern science: big data management. By bridging the gap between the laboratory and the supercomputing facility, PIC ensures that In-CAEM can function not just as an imaging platform, but as a high-speed analytical engine, accelerating the research on new materials, essential for the global energy transition.

The Euclid Consortium has released the largest synthetic galaxy catalogue ever created: a virtual Universe with 3.4 billion galaxies, each described by more than 400 physical properties. The catalogue was developed by an international team from 11 institutions, led by the Institute of Space Sciences (ICE-CSIC) and the Port d’Informació Científica (PIC), and is now available on the CosmoHub platform.

Known as the Flagship 2 galaxy mock, this resource recreates what the Euclid space telescope —equipped with a 1.2-metre mirror— will observe in the sky. Thanks to its vast size, it includes galaxies whose light has travelled over 10 billion years to reach us.

The catalogue is produced and analysed using specialised hardware on a Hadoop big data platform at PIC. Generating a resource of this scale is both a scientific and technical challenge. It requires advanced computational and statistical methods, as well as the latest knowledge of galaxy formation, evolution, and their connection with dark matter and dark energy.

Simulating the Universe before Euclid delivers its first 3D map will help scientists interpret the telescope’s observations and tackle fundamental questions in cosmology. These simulations make it possible to explore the origin of the cosmic web, test the standard cosmological model, and shed light on the nature of the Universe’s dark components.

Beyond cosmology, the catalogue is a powerful tool for studying how galaxies form and evolve across cosmic history. It also enables end-to-end testing of data pipelines, ensuring Euclid extracts the maximum scientific return once its observations begin.

This May, the Montsec Observatory (OdM) has inaugurated its new Rapid Wide-Field Telescope (TRAC). This advanced instrument will significantly enhance the observatory’s capabilities, allowing for the observation of potentially hazardous near-Earth asteroids and the tracking of satellites and space debris.

The TRAC project is led by the Institute of Space Studies of Catalonia (IEEC), with participation of IFAE and i2CAT and it is funded through the 2024 CERCAGINYS III program, with contributions from Spain’s Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities, the Catalan Government’s Department of Research and Universities, and the CERCA Institution.

PIC will provide robust data storage and access for the large datasets TRAC will generate, while the i2CAT Foundation will perform R&D on future optical communications systems.

The European Space Agency’s Euclid mission released its first batch of survey data, including a preview of its deep fields.

Using Artificial Intelligence (AI) algorithms in combination with citizen science campaigns, the Euclid Consortium scientific results include the discovery of strong gravitational lensing systems, the exploration of galaxy clusters and the cosmic web, the characterisation of active galactic nuclei (AGN) and quasars, studies on galaxy evolution and morphology, and the identification of numerous dwarf galaxies and transients.

Spain has an important role in the Euclid mission, with a prominent role in the Consortium that has led the mission from its origin as well as the development of its instrumentation, data processing and scientific exploitation.

PIC is one of the nine data centers of the mission, in charge of implementing and running the data processing pipelines, as well as generating and distributing the Euclid Flagship mock catalog.

Click here for more information.