Lattice QCD for nuclear physics at the Exascale

We are engaged in an intense search for new physics from beyond the Standard Model, both with high-energy colliders and through precision low-energy tests. At low-energy, nuclei are the laboratories as probes for new physics, for example, the search for neutrinoless double beta decay and permanent electric dipole moments of large nuclei. If we are to accurately interpret the results of these experiments as constraints on new physics, we must build a quantitative theoretical bridge between nuclear physics and QCD. The non-perturbative nature of QCD requires the use of high-performance computers to compute even the simplest properties of nucleons and the interactions of few nucleon systems by utilizing lattice QCD. These results must then be coupled to low-energy effective theories of nuclear physics, such that the theoretical uncertainty from QCD can be propagated to our understanding of nuclei and their properties.

Through the development of new ideas, sophisticated software, and more complex heterogenous computing architectures, we are making continual progress towards understanding nuclear physics directly from QCD. The latest generation of computers, such as Summit, are disruptively faster than previous generations. Efficiently utilizing these new machines requires more sophisticated management software, as the application to nuclear physics will require millions of samples to render the stochastic uncertainties under control. I will highlight some recent results and provide a perspective on the exciting opportunities that lie ahead as we move towards the exascale computing era.