hp-adaptive discontinuous Galerkin solver for elliptic equations in numerical relativity

A considerable amount of attention has been given to discontinuous Galerkin methods for hyperbolic problems in numerical relativity, showing potential advantages of the methods in dealing with hydrodynamical shocks and other discontinuities. This paper investigates discontinuous Galerkin methods for the solution of elliptic problems in numerical relativity. We present a novel hp-adaptive numerical scheme for curvilinear and non-conforming meshes. It uses a multigrid preconditioner with a Chebyshev or Schwarz smoother to create a very scalable discontinuous Galerkin code on generic domains. The code employs compactification to move the outer boundary near spatial infinity. We explore the properties of the code on some test problems, including one mimicking Neutron stars with phase transitions. We also apply it to construct initial data for two or three black holes

Immersed Boundary Smooth Extension: A high-order method for solving PDE on arbitrary smooth domains using Fourier spectral methods

The Immersed Boundary method is a simple, efficient, and robust numerical scheme for solving PDE in general domains, yet it only achieves first-order spatial accuracy near embedded boundaries. In this paper, we introduce a new high-order numerical method which we call the Immersed Boundary Smooth Extension (IBSE) method. The IBSE method achieves high-order accuracy by smoothly extending the unknown solution of the PDE from a given smooth domain to a larger computational domain, enabling the use of simple Cartesian-grid discretizations (e.g. Fourier spectral methods). The method preserves much of the flexibility and robustness of the original IB method. In particular, it requires minimal geometric information to describe the boundary and relies only on convolution with regularized delta-functions to communicate information between the computational grid and the boundary. We present a fast algorithm for solving elliptic equations, which forms the basis for simple, high-order implicit-time methods for parabolic PDE and implicit-explicit methods for related nonlinear PDE. We apply the IBSE method to solve the Poisson, heat, Burgers', and Fitzhugh-Nagumo equations, and demonstrate fourth-order pointwise convergence for Dirichlet problems and third-order pointwise convergence for Neumann problems

Grid generation for the solution of partial differential equations

A general survey of grid generators is presented with a concern for understanding why grids are necessary, how they are applied, and how they are generated. After an examination of the need for meshes, the overall applications setting is established with a categorization of the various connectivity patterns. This is split between structured grids and unstructured meshes. Altogether, the categorization establishes the foundation upon which grid generation techniques are developed. The two primary categories are algebraic techniques and partial differential equation techniques. These are each split into basic parts, and accordingly are individually examined in some detail. In the process, the interrelations between the various parts are accented. From the established background in the primary techniques, consideration is shifted to the topic of interactive grid generation and then to adaptive meshes. The setting for adaptivity is established with a suitable means to monitor severe solution behavior. Adaptive grids are considered first and are followed by adaptive triangular meshes. Then the consideration shifts to the temporal coupling between grid generators and PDE-solvers. To conclude, a reflection upon the discussion, herein, is given

A Simple Method for Computing Singular or Nearly Singular Integrals on Closed Surfaces

We present a simple, accurate method for computing singular or nearly singular integrals on a smooth, closed surface, such as layer potentials for harmonic functions evaluated at points on or near the surface. The integral is computed with a regularized kernel and corrections are added for regularization and discretization, which are found from analysis near the singular point. The surface integrals are computed from a new quadrature rule using surface points which project onto grid points in coordinate planes. The method does not require coordinate charts on the surface or special treatment of the singularity other than the corrections. The accuracy is about $O(h^3)$, where $h$ is the spacing in the background grid, uniformly with respect to the point of evaluation, on or near the surface. Improved accuracy is obtained for points on the surface. The treecode of Duan and Krasny for Ewald summation is used to perform sums. Numerical examples are presented with a variety of surfaces.Comment: to appear in Commun. Comput. Phy