http://researchcommons.waikato.ac.nz/bitstream/10289/2682/1/Kunnemeyer%20Accelerating.pdf

Abstract

Modern graphics cards, commonly used in desktop computers, have evolved beyond asimple interface between processor and display to incorporate sophisticated calculationengines that can be applied to general purpose computing. The Monte Carlo algorithm formodelling photon transport in turbid media has been implemented on an NVIDIA®8800GT graphics card using the CUDA toolkit. The Monte Carlo method relies onfollowing the trajectory of millions of photons through the sample, often taking hours ordays to complete. The graphics-processor implementation, processing roughly 110 millionscattering events per second, was found to run more than 70 times faster than a similar,single-threaded implementation on a 2.67 GHz desktop computer.

Authors

Paul Martinsen, The Plant and Food Research Institute of New Zealand, Hamilton, New Zealand

Johannes Blaschke, Philipps-Universität Marburg, Hessen, Germany

Rainer Künnemeyer, The University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand

Robert Jordan, The Plant and Food Research Institute of New Zealand, Hamilton, New Zealand