Cadabra (computer program)

{{short description|Computer algebra system}}

{{Infobox software

| name = Cadabra

| logo = Cadabra2_logo.svg

| caption = Cadabra graphical notebook interface

| developer = Kasper Peeters

| latest release version = 2.5.8

| latest release date = {{release date and age|2024|10|25|df=yes}}{{cite web |url=https://github.com/kpeeters/cadabra2/releases|title=GitHub Releases|publisher=github.com/kpeeters|access-date=10 November 2024}}

| programming language = C++, Python

| operating system = Linux, macOS, Microsoft Windows

| genre = Computer algebra system

| license = GPL

| website = {{URL|//cadabra.science}}

}}

Cadabra is a computer algebra system designed specifically for the solution of problems encountered in classical field theory, quantum field theory and string theory.

The first version of Cadabra was developed around 2001 for computing higher-derivative string theory correction to supergravity.{{Cite journal|last1=Peeters|first1=Kasper|last2=Vanhove|first2=Pierre|last3=Westerberg|first3=Anders|date=2001|title=Supersymmetric higher-derivative actions in 10 and 11 dimensions, the associated superalgebras and their formulation in superspace|url=http://stacks.iop.org/0264-9381/18/i=5/a=307|journal=Classical and Quantum Gravity|language=en|volume=18|issue=5|pages=843–890|doi=10.1088/0264-9381/18/5/307|issn=0264-9381|arxiv=hep-th/0010167|bibcode=2001CQGra..18..843P|s2cid=6933319}}{{Cite journal|last1=Peeters|first1=Kasper|last2=Westerberg|first2=Anders|date=2004-03-01|title=The Ramond–Ramond sector of string theory beyond leading order|journal=Classical and Quantum Gravity|volume=21|issue=6|pages=1643–1665|doi=10.1088/0264-9381/21/6/022|issn=0264-9381|arxiv=hep-th/0307298|bibcode=2004CQGra..21.1643P|s2cid=14418092}}

Released under the GNU General Public License, Cadabra is free software.

Cadabra has extensive functionality for tensor polynomial simplification including multi-term symmetries, fermions and anti-commuting variables, Clifford algebras and Fierz transformations, implicit coordinate dependence, multiple index types and many more. The input format is a subset of TeX. Both a command-line and a graphical interface are available.

A Java program inspired by Cadabra called Redberry was developed between 2013 and 2016. It achieved faster speeds for most index contractions with an approach based on the graph isomorphism problem rather than canonicalisation.{{cite arXiv |title=Introduction to Redberry: A computer algebra system designed for tensor manipulation|first1=Dmitry|last1=Bolotin|first2=Stanislav|last2=Poslavsky|year=2015|class=cs.SC |eprint = 1302.1219}}