668 research outputs found
An efficient implementation of an implicit FEM scheme for fractional-in-space reaction-diffusion equations
Fractional differential equations are becoming increasingly used as a modelling tool for processes with anomalous diffusion or spatial heterogeneity. However, the presence of a fractional differential operator causes memory (time fractional) or nonlocality (space fractional) issues, which impose a number of computational constraints. In this paper we develop efficient, scalable techniques for solving fractional-in-space reaction diffusion equations using the finite element method on both structured and unstructured grids, and robust techniques for computing the fractional power of a matrix times a vector. Our approach is show-cased by solving the fractional Fisher and fractional Allen-Cahn reaction-diffusion equations in two and three spatial dimensions, and analysing the speed of the travelling wave and size of the interface in terms of the fractional power of the underlying Laplacian operator
Least Squares Ranking on Graphs
Given a set of alternatives to be ranked, and some pairwise comparison data,
ranking is a least squares computation on a graph. The vertices are the
alternatives, and the edge values comprise the comparison data. The basic idea
is very simple and old: come up with values on vertices such that their
differences match the given edge data. Since an exact match will usually be
impossible, one settles for matching in a least squares sense. This formulation
was first described by Leake in 1976 for rankingfootball teams and appears as
an example in Professor Gilbert Strang's classic linear algebra textbook. If
one is willing to look into the residual a little further, then the problem
really comes alive, as shown effectively by the remarkable recent paper of
Jiang et al. With or without this twist, the humble least squares problem on
graphs has far-reaching connections with many current areas ofresearch. These
connections are to theoretical computer science (spectral graph theory, and
multilevel methods for graph Laplacian systems); numerical analysis (algebraic
multigrid, and finite element exterior calculus); other mathematics (Hodge
decomposition, and random clique complexes); and applications (arbitrage, and
ranking of sports teams). Not all of these connections are explored in this
paper, but many are. The underlying ideas are easy to explain, requiring only
the four fundamental subspaces from elementary linear algebra. One of our aims
is to explain these basic ideas and connections, to get researchers in many
fields interested in this topic. Another aim is to use our numerical
experiments for guidance on selecting methods and exposing the need for further
development.Comment: Added missing references, comparison of linear solvers overhauled,
conclusion section added, some new figures adde
A robust adaptive algebraic multigrid linear solver for structural mechanics
The numerical simulation of structural mechanics applications via finite
elements usually requires the solution of large-size and ill-conditioned linear
systems, especially when accurate results are sought for derived variables
interpolated with lower order functions, like stress or deformation fields.
Such task represents the most time-consuming kernel in commercial simulators;
thus, it is of significant interest the development of robust and efficient
linear solvers for such applications. In this context, direct solvers, which
are based on LU factorization techniques, are often used due to their
robustness and easy setup; however, they can reach only superlinear complexity,
in the best case, thus, have limited applicability depending on the problem
size. On the other hand, iterative solvers based on algebraic multigrid (AMG)
preconditioners can reach up to linear complexity for sufficiently regular
problems but do not always converge and require more knowledge from the user
for an efficient setup. In this work, we present an adaptive AMG method
specifically designed to improve its usability and efficiency in the solution
of structural problems. We show numerical results for several practical
applications with millions of unknowns and compare our method with two
state-of-the-art linear solvers proving its efficiency and robustness.Comment: 50 pages, 16 figures, submitted to CMAM
HAZniCS -- Software Components for Multiphysics Problems
We introduce the software toolbox HAZniCS for solving interface-coupled
multiphysics problems. HAZniCS is a suite of modules that combines the
well-known FEniCS framework for finite element discretization with solver and
graph library HAZmath. The focus of the paper is on the design and
implementation of a pool of robust and efficient solver algorithms which tackle
issues related to the complex interfacial coupling of the physical problems
often encountered in applications in brain biomechanics. The robustness and
efficiency of the numerical algorithms and methods is shown in several
numerical examples, namely the Darcy-Stokes equations that model flow of
cerebrospinal fluid in the human brain and the mixed-dimensional model of
electrodiffusion in the brain tissue
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