Software

Tree-sitter is a popular library for parsing programming languages for syntax highlighting and code navigation in IDEs, websites, and other tools. Although modern Fortran is still widely used in academia, many syntax highlighting packages, for example, have not kept up with the developments in the language, and fail to highlight modern Fortran correctly. A Fortran grammar was already being developed, and was about 60% complete when we started to contribute.

Simplesimdb is a lightweight Python library for managing the creation and management of simulation data. It is capable of tracking input parameters and linking them to a local store of output files, and therefore avoid rerunning expensive simulations for which the input parameters have been seen before. It also permits users to search a set of previous input parameters to determine which outputs already exist.

SUMMIT is a new software package developed at the University of York which can predict the behaviour of magnetically confined plasmas under the influence of microwave-induced current drive during start-up. A central solenoid is the typical method for driving the initial currents, but these devices take up valuable space in the central column and are vulnerable to neutron irradiation. It has been proposed that future reactors may instead make use of microwave launchers around the outer wall to drive currents, as these are more resistant to radiation and will free up space for the breeding blanket or other components.

This project was a set of brand new tools for working with EPOCH simulations: epydeck for reading/writing input files, sdf-xarray for reading output files into xarray, and epyscan for parameter scans and active learning. We wrote these tools as separate packages in order to facilitate generic workflows, as EPOCH users have fairly diverse needs and this helps avoid tight dependencies and locking users into a rigid workflow.

MacauFOAM is an extension for OpenFOAM for simulating low-temperature plasmas using the particle-in-cell (PIC) method. The code has been used in several publications, and unfortunately is currently closed-source due to the institutional policies.