Spinhenge@home was a
volunteer computing
Volunteer computing is a type of distributed computing in which people donate their computers' unused resources to a research-oriented project, and sometimes in exchange for credit points. The fundamental idea behind it is that a modern desktop co ...
project on the
BOINC platform, which performs extensive numerical simulations concerning the physical characteristics of magnetic molecules. It is a project of the
Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences
The Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences (Fachhochschule Bielefeld) is the second largest education institution in Bielefeld. It divides itself into six faculties (Fachbereiche):
Divisions
* Faculty 1: Design (Gestaltung)
The Faculty of Desig ...
, Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, in cooperation with the
University of Osnabrück
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...
and
Ames Laboratory.
The project began
beta testing
Software testing is the act of examining the artifacts and the behavior of the software under test by validation and verification. Software testing can also provide an objective, independent view of the software to allow the business to apprecia ...
on September 1, 2006 and used the Metropolis
Monte Carlo algorithm to calculate and simulate
spin
Spin or spinning most often refers to:
* Spinning (textiles), the creation of yarn or thread by twisting fibers together, traditionally by hand spinning
* Spin, the rotation of an object around a central axis
* Spin (propaganda), an intentionally b ...
dynamics in
nanoscale molecular magnets.
On September 28, 2011, a hiatus was announced while the project team reviewed results and upgraded hardware. As of July 10, 2022 the hiatus continues and it is likely that the project has been closed down permanently.
See also
*
Spintronics
Spintronics (a portmanteau meaning spin transport electronics), also known as spin electronics, is the study of the intrinsic spin of the electron and its associated magnetic moment, in addition to its fundamental electronic charge, in solid-sta ...
*
BOINC
*
List of volunteer computing projects
This is a comprehensive list of volunteer computing projects; a type of distributed computing where volunteers donate computing time to specific causes. The donated computing power comes from idle CPUs and GPUs in personal computers, video game co ...
References
External links
Project Website*
More Information about Spinhenge@HomeProject Statistics at BOINCStats
Science in society
Free science software
Volunteer computing projects
{{science-software-stub