XCP-8: Verification and Analysis

Improving confidence in science-based predictions of multi-physics and multi-component simulation codes

Challenging and assessing the accuracy, credibility, robustness, and performance of multi-physics simulation codes

We work in close partnership with the experimental community, modeling community, simulation code teams, the model implementation teams, and our customers to ensure that our activities are technically relevant, scientifically grounded, and achieve maximum impact on programmatic goals. The group supports the national goals of NNSA Defense Programs in predictive capability assessment and integrated computational and experimental science.

XCP-8 underwrites the confidence basis of XCP physics codes for mission-relevant modeling, predictions, and applications using advanced analysis from five coordinated thrust areas:

• Verification and Validation (V&V) of computational multiphysics codes for applications in extreme conditions, 
• Uncertainty Quantification (UQ) of predictive capabilities in extrapolative regimes with limited or no data,
• Advanced data science, including machine learning (ML), applied to computational physics simulations and sparse experimental data
• Workflows and tools, including visualization, simulation and analysis infrastructure, and comparison tools, and 
• Weapons analysis and prediction which can inform decision-makers of implications integrated multiphysics applications.

XCP-8 is uniquely positioned to bridge mission applications with specialized disciplines and tools. As we respond to changing mission, computing architecture, data science, and experimental directions, we work in close partnership with experimentalists, theorists, statisticians, simulation code teams, model implementation teams, and our customers to ensure that our activities are technically relevant, scientifically grounded, and achieve maximum impact on programmatic goals. The group supports the national goals of NNSA Defense Programs in predictive capability assessment and integrated computational and experimental science.

The applications of interest in XCP-8 are multiphysics and span extreme conditions and regimes. Single physics focus areas include:

• Hydrodynamics,
• Material strength and damage,
• Equation of state,
• Reactive flow,
• High-energy density physics,
• Instabilities and turbulence, and 
• Radiation transport and criticality.