Scientists Develop Lumina Simulation of the Early Universe

Researchers at the Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian, MIT and Harvard University unveiled Lumina on 26 October 2026. The simulation models the first two billion years of the universe, including interactions among ordinary matter, dark matter and radiation. It covers a region approximately 1.5 to 1.6 billion light-years across on each side.

Cosmic Evolution and Reionisation

The Big Bang model describes the universe’s expansion from an early hot, dense state. In the first billion years, gas gathered under gravity and formed the first stars and galaxies. Black holes also developed during this period. Lumina models hydrogen and helium reionisation as processes occurring within the evolving simulation. Reionisation is the transition in which energetic radiation ionises neutral atoms in intergalactic gas. Hydrogen and helium are the most abundant elements in the universe. Modelling both processes allows their effects to be included as the simulated universe develops.

Computing and Simulation Scale

Lumina was run on Frontier, a supercomputer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee. The computation used more than 15,000 graphics processing units and over 100,000 central processing unit cores. Lumina covers a volume of space more than 100 times larger than those of previous comparable simulations. The simulation’s predictions can be compared with telescope observations to examine models of cosmic evolution. The James Webb Space Telescope observes the universe primarily in infrared wavelengths. The Nancy Roman Space Telescope is a NASA space observatory designed to conduct wide-field astronomical surveys.

Related Research and Publication

Lumina’s findings began publication in the “Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society” on 26 October 2026. The journal is a peer-reviewed publication of the Royal Astronomical Society. The MEGATRON project, led by Harley Katz at the University of Chicago, released simulations in late September and early October 2026. Its models examine the evolution of a galaxy similar to the Milky Way during the universe’s first several billion years, including early-galaxy composition and element formation.

Important Facts for Exams

• Frontier is located at Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee.
• Hydrogen and helium are the two most abundant elements in the universe.
• The James Webb Space Telescope observes primarily in infrared wavelengths.
• The Royal Astronomical Society publishes the “Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society”.

Lumina models interactions among ordinary matter, dark matter and radiation over the universe’s first two billion years. The MEGATRON project models the early development of a galaxy similar to the Milky Way.