Cactus: What is it and what can it do for me?

Abstract:

The Cactus computing framework was developed in the numerical relativity community, both to manage the quite complex codes that are needed to simulate astrophysically realistic scenarios in general relativity, and to allow collaboration of diverse research groups within this field. The resulting framework is now quite general, and is being used successfully in fields outside of numerical relativity. I will introduce the philosophy and design principles of Cactus, and then discuss how it is being or can be used in various fields, focusing in particular on numerical relativity, climate modeling, and quantum gravity.