Review of numerical methods for NumILPT with computational accuracy assessment for fractional calculus

Abstract

Abstract In the paper we present results of accuracy evaluation of numerous numerical algorithms for the numerical approximation of the Inverse Laplace Transform. The selected algorithms represent diverse lines of approach to this problem and include methods by Stehfest, Abate and Whitt, Vlach and Singhai, De Hoog, Talbot, Zakian and a one in which the FFT is applied for the Fourier series convergence acceleration. We use C++ and Python languages with arbitrary precision mathematical libraries to address some crucial issues of numerical implementation. The test set includes Laplace transforms considered as difficult to compute as well as some others commonly applied in fractional calculus. Evaluation results enable to conclude that the Talbot method which involves deformed Bromwich contour integration, the De Hoog and the Abate and Whitt methods using Fourier series expansion with accelerated convergence can be assumed as general purpose high-accuracy algorithms. They can be applied to a wide variety of inversion problems.