Programming cellular automata algorithms on parallel computers

摘要

A high-level programming support is an essential component for the practical development of computational science applications using the cellular automata model. This paper, after introducing the CARPET language, shows its practical use for programming cellular automata simulations on parallel computers. CARPET is a high-level language designed for supporting rapid prototyping and full implementation of a large number of science and engineering applications on high-performance computers. The language provides a user with a programming layer that offers constructs for the direct definition of the cellular automata features such as lattice dimension, cell state, neighborhood, and transition function. The CARPET parallel run-time system maps CA programs on a parallel computer hiding the architecture issues to a user and it provides advanced visualization of program's output. The paper describes how practical cellular automata algorithms for lattice gas, gas diffusion simulation, and traffic flow modeling can be designed using the CARPET programming language.