Backward error accurate methods for computing the matrix exponential and its action

The theory of partial differential equations constitutes today one of the most important topics of scientific understanding. A standard approach for solving a time-dependent partial differential equation consists in discretizing the spatial variables by finite differences or finite elements. This results in a huge system of (stiff) ordinary differential equations that has to be integrated in time. Exponential integrators constitute an interesting class of numerical methods for the time integration of stiff systems of differential equations. Their efficient implementation heavily relies on the fast computation of the action of certain matrix functions; among those, the matrix exponential is the most prominent one. In this manuscript, we go through the steps that led to the development of backward error accurate routines for computing the action of the matrix exponential.