Exploring the Use of Molecular Dynamics Simulations for High-Performance Space Debris Collision Modelling

For long-term studies, numerical simulations are at the center of predicting the space debris environment of the upcoming decades. In the scope of the study, the authors present the architecture and proof-of-concept results for a numerical simulation capable of modeling the long-term debris evolution over decades with a deterministic conjunction tracking model in contrast to typically employed Monte Carlo methods. For the simulation, an efficient propagator in modern C++ accounting for Earth’s gravitational anomalies, solar radiation pressure, and atmospheric drag was developed. The authors utilized AutoPas, a sophisticated particle container, which automatically selects the most efficient data structures and algorithms. Using OpenMP and MPI, the simulation was scaled up to over 600 000 particles being simulated on up to 3584 cores in parallel.