The FORM project

TL;DR

The paper argues for the FORM project to fulfill high-demand symbolic computations in particle physics, highlighting the need for speed and the ability to handle very large expressions. It outlines a historical trajectory from gamma/tensor manipulation to advanced loop-reduction techniques, master integrals, and multivariate polynomial methods, and presents $ParFORM$/$TFORM$ as scalable solutions. The current status covers manpower, infrastructure, and the gradual move toward open-source release, with $GMP$ integration and ongoing work on code simplification and documentation. It also discusses future directions, including multivariate rational polynomials, Gröbner-bases methods, and robust memory-management strategies, while advocates open scientific practices to prevent fragmentation and ensure broad accessibility.

Abstract

The necessity of the FORM project is discussed. Then the evolutionary needs in particle physics are considered, looking at the trends over the years. A guess is made at what will be needed in the (near) future. The whole is concluded with some critical remarks concerning the publication of results and programs.