Update module on user interfaces to AD libraries

diff --git a/doc/doxygen/headers/automatic_and_symbolic_differentiation.h b/doc/doxygen/headers/automatic_and_symbolic_differentiation.h
index 2a15a2ae0b098f00cf98642f57fbc4773f44b1fe..5d921903522a6340c4772dcfbf969de7ffb9454f 100644 (file)
--- a/doc/doxygen/headers/automatic_and_symbolic_differentiation.h
+++ b/doc/doxygen/headers/automatic_and_symbolic_differentiation.h
@@ -450,9 +450,23 @@
  *
  * @subsubsection auto_diff_1_3 User interface to the automatic differentiation libraries
  *
- * As of the current release, there is no formal, unified interface to the automatic
- * differentation libraries that we support. It is therefore necessary for users to
- * manage the initialization and derivative computations themselves.
+ * The deal.II library offers a unified interface to the automatic differentiation libraries that 
+ * we support. To date, the helper classes have been developed for the following contexts:
+ *
+ * - Classes designed to operate at the quadrature point level (or any general continuum point):
+ *   - ScalarFunction: Differentiation of a scalar-valued function. One typical use would be the
+ *                     the development of constitutive laws directly from a strain energy function.
+ *   - VectorFunction: Differentiation of a vector-valued function. This could be used to
+ *                     linearize the kinematic variables of a constitutive law, or assist in solving
+ *                     the evolution equations of local internal variables.
+ * - Classes designed to operate at the cell level:
+ *   - EnergyFunctional: Differentiation of a scalar-valued energy functional, such as might arise
+ *                       from variational formulations.
+ *   - ResidualLinearization: Differentiation of a vector-valued finite element residual, leading to
+ *                            its consistent linearization.
+ *
+ * Naturally, it is also possible for users to manage the initialization and derivative 
+ * computations themselves.
  *
  * The most up-to-date examples of how this is done using ADOL-C can be found in
  * - their <a href="https://projects.coin-or.org/ADOL-C/browser/trunk/ADOL-C/doc/adolc-manual.pdf?format=raw">user manual</a>,