REVIEW 1 major objections 2 minor 8 cited by
The FLAMINGO simulations data release
T0 review · 1 major / 2 minor · reviewed 2026-07-01 · grok-4.3
Pith's one-line read FLAMINGO publicly releases over 2.3 petabytes of cosmological hydrodynamical simulation data with selective access tools.
desk verdict This is a standard data-release paper for the FLAMINGO suite that makes 2.3 PB of calibrated hydro runs with neutrinos and varied feedback publicly accessible via a selective download service. read the letter →
The pith
A machine-rendered reading of the paper's core claim, the machinery that carries it, and where it could break.
The reading
What carries the argument
The FLAMINGO suite of calibrated hydrodynamical simulations with explicit neutrinos and dual AGN feedback implementations, plus the web service for selective dataset access.
What would settle it
A direct comparison showing whether the stellar mass functions or cluster gas fractions extracted from the released catalogues match the calibration targets used in the original runs.
Extended reading notes
Core claim
The FLAMINGO data release makes available the full outputs of 22 hydrodynamical and 16 gravity-only cosmological simulations, including hitherto unpublished runs with extra dark matter particles, together with a web service that supports exploration and selective download of snapshots, catalogues, lightcone maps, and power spectra.
Load-bearing premise
The released data products accurately reflect the underlying simulation runs that were calibrated to the galaxy stellar mass function and cluster gas fractions.
Editorial extensions
If this is right
- Users can compare galaxy populations and cluster gas content across multiple resolutions and feedback variants without new runs.
- Lightcone maps and power spectra enable direct tests against observational surveys of large-scale structure.
- Variations in neutrino mass and dark matter nature allow exploration of cosmological parameter effects on structure formation.
- The gravity-only counterparts support isolation of baryonic effects on halo properties.
Reading between the lines
- The selective-download service may encourage similar access models for other petabyte-scale simulation releases.
- Extra dark matter particle runs could be used to quantify resolution dependence of halo assembly histories beyond what the main suite provides.
- The full set of lightcone outputs could support mock catalog generation for next-generation surveys.
- Combining the released power spectra with the varied cosmologies offers a ready-made testbed for emulator construction.
- keywords
Signed reviews
Editorial analysis
A structured set of objections, weighed in public.
Referee Report
Summary. The manuscript describes the public release of >2.3 petabytes of data from the FLAMINGO cosmological simulations. The suite includes 22 hydrodynamical simulations incorporating radiative cooling, star formation, chemical enrichment, supernova and AGN feedback, and explicit neutrino particles, plus 16 gravity-only runs (including a 10080^3-particle run) with matching initial conditions. Data products comprise snapshots, halo/galaxy catalogues, HEALPix lightcone maps, particle lightcone data, and power spectra. Simulations span three resolutions and vary the galaxy stellar mass function, cluster gas fractions, cosmology (including neutrino mass), and dark matter nature in 1 Gpc^3 volumes; fiducial runs are calibrated to the z=0 galaxy stellar mass function and low-redshift cluster gas fractions. Access is provided via full downloads and a selective web service.
Significance. If the released data products accurately match the described runs and calibration targets, the release constitutes a substantial community resource. The combination of large volumes, multiple resolutions, systematic parameter variations, and explicit neutrino/dark-matter variants enables direct tests of galaxy formation models, cosmological constraints, and alternative dark-matter scenarios that are otherwise computationally prohibitive for individual groups.
major comments (1)
- [Abstract] Abstract and § on calibration: the statement that the three fiducial resolutions 'have each been calibrated to reproduce the present-day galaxy stellar mass function and gas fractions in low-redshift clusters' is load-bearing for the scientific utility of the release, yet the manuscript provides neither the calibration procedure, the target observational datasets, nor quantitative validation metrics (e.g., χ^{2} values or residual plots). A reference to the companion methods paper is required for users to assess the fidelity of the released data.
minor comments (2)
- The text lists 22 hydrodynamical and 16 gravity-only runs but does not supply a compact table enumerating run names, particle numbers, box sizes, and varied parameters; such a table would improve usability.
- The description of the web service for selective downloads is brief; adding explicit limits on query size, supported formats, and example queries would clarify how the service mitigates the bandwidth/storage barrier mentioned in the abstract.
Simulated Author's Rebuttal
We thank the referee for their positive assessment of the FLAMINGO data release manuscript and for the constructive comment. We address the single major comment below.
read point-by-point responses
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Referee: [Abstract] Abstract and § on calibration: the statement that the three fiducial resolutions 'have each been calibrated to reproduce the present-day galaxy stellar mass function and gas fractions in low-redshift clusters' is load-bearing for the scientific utility of the release, yet the manuscript provides neither the calibration procedure, the target observational datasets, nor quantitative validation metrics (e.g., χ^{2} values or residual plots). A reference to the companion methods paper is required for users to assess the fidelity of the released data.
Authors: We agree that the calibration details are important for users to assess the fidelity of the released data. The calibration procedure, target observational datasets (including the specific galaxy stellar mass function and cluster gas fraction measurements), and quantitative validation metrics are described in the companion methods paper. We will revise the manuscript to add an explicit citation to that companion paper in both the abstract and the section on the simulations. This will direct readers to the required information while keeping the data-release paper focused on its primary purpose. revision: yes
Circularity Check
No circularity: purely descriptive data-release paper
full rationale
The manuscript is a catalog of released simulation outputs (snapshots, catalogues, lightcones, power spectra) from the FLAMINGO suite. It states calibration targets and physics modules but advances no new equations, predictions, or fitted quantities presented as results. No derivation chain exists, so no step can reduce to its own inputs by construction, self-citation, or renaming. The central claim is simply that the listed data products are now publicly accessible.
Assumptions & free parameters
Cite this review
Pith. "Pith review of The FLAMINGO simulations data release." pith.science (2026). https://pith.science/paper/YDJMTMFJ
@misc{pith2026260424324,
author = {Pith},
title = {Pith review of: The FLAMINGO simulations data release},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {\url{https://pith.science/paper/YDJMTMFJ}},
note = {Machine review of arXiv:2604.24324}
}
abstract
We describe the public release of $>2.3$ petabytes of data from the FLAMINGO cosmological simulations. The suite consists of hydrodynamical simulations that include radiative cooling, star formation, stellar mass loss and the resulting chemical enrichment, supernova feedback, and two implementations of AGN feedback. Neutrinos are simulated explicitly using particles. Data products include snapshots, halo and galaxy catalogues, HEALPix all-sky lightcone maps, particle data for lightcone maps, and power spectra. The FLAMINGO set includes 22 hydrodynamical simulations. In addition, there are 16 gravity-only simulations, including the $10080^3$ particles FLAMINGO-10k run, with initial conditions that match those of the corresponding hydrodynamical runs. The fiducial hydrodynamical simulations span three numerical resolutions that have each been calibrated to reproduce the present-day galaxy stellar mass function and gas fractions in low-redshift clusters. Other simulations systematically vary the galaxy stellar mass function, cluster gas fractions, cosmology (including neutrino masses), and/or the nature of dark matter, in volumes of 1Gpc$^3$. The release includes hitherto unpublished simulations that use extra dark matter particles. While we provide a facility for downloading complete simulation outputs, we recognise that for many users this will not be possible due to limited local storage or network bandwidth. We implement a web service that enables users to explore available outputs and selectively download datasets or parts of datasets.
Forward citations
Cited by 8 Pith papers
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The One-Loop Power Spectrum of Fast Radio Burst Dispersion Measures
A one-loop EFT power spectrum model for FRB free-electron clustering matches FLAMINGO simulations to k ~ 0.2 h/Mpc, with electron bias b_e ~ 0.92 and near-perfect electron-matter correlation.
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The influence of feedback on the baryonic content of haloes in the COLIBRE simulations
The halo gas fraction–halo mass relation in COLIBRE is non-monotonic and depends strongly on the subgrid AGN feedback model, with jet-hybrid feedback producing lower group gas fractions that better match eROSITA and k...
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The local galaxy distribution does not violate the cosmological principle
The gigaparsec-scale anisotropy claimed in DESI DR1 disappears once luminosity distances are not mistaken for comoving distances and galaxy mocks include bias and redshift-space distortions.
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The limits of feedback from active galactic nuclei
AGN feedback creates a mass-independent entropy ceiling that allows outflows to escape halos only below M_200m = 10^13.7 M_sun, explaining depleted gas in groups versus near-cosmic fractions in clusters.
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FLAMINGO: The thermal history of the Universe from tSZ effect cross-correlations and its dependencies on cosmology and baryon physics
tSZ cross-correlations with large-scale structure tracers prefer low S8 and strong baryonic feedback, yielding S8 = 0.72 and low group baryon fraction in FLAMINGO simulations.
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J-PAS & FLAMINGO: Cosmic voids and void galaxies in the gravitational landscape of photometric surveys
Quasi-potential watershed voids in FLAMINGO J-PAS mocks remain size- and shape-consistent under photo-z errors, recover ~63% of thresholded volume, and preserve massive void-galaxy environmental trends.
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On the later evolution of observationally selected protocluster candidates at $z\,{\gtrsim}\,5$
Simulations show observationally selected protocluster candidates at z ≳ 5 include significant interlopers, undergo 2-6 major mergers, and exhibit stronger clustering than observed, requiring total galaxy mass within ...
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Validation of the Hybrid Bias Expansion model for the galaxy bispectrum
First systematic validation shows Hybrid Bias Expansion model for galaxy bispectrum remains accurate up to k=0.25 h/Mpc in DESI-like mocks, outperforming tree-level EFT.
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