Abstract:
The FEniCS Project (fenicsproject.org) is a collection of free software aimed at the automated solution of differential equations by finite element methods. Finite element methods are naturally posed in a variational formulation, and abstractions for working with variational forms are central to the project. Key components include a high-level, expressive form language and low-level code generating form compilers; the combination of which allows generality without sacrificing efficiency. Further, as numerical simulations turn to a greater focus on quantifying uncertainties, sensitivities, and errors, the relevance of these components only seems to be increasing.
I’ll talk about the FEniCS project with particular emphasis on the form language UFL and the form compiler FFC, and illustrate their features using examples from inverse problems, optimal control and goal-oriented adaptivity and error control. Moreover, these components are under continuous development, and I’ll outline features and extensions planned for the coming year(s).