Variable-step finite difference schemes for the solution of Sturm-Liouville problems

We discuss the solution of regular and singular Sturm-Liouville problems by means of High Order Finite Difference Schemes. We describe a code to define a discrete problem and its numerical solution by means of linear algebra techniques. Different test problems are proposed to emphasize the behaviour of the proposed algorithm

Efficient computation of high index Sturm-Liouville eigenvalues for problems in physics

Finding the eigenvalues of a Sturm-Liouville problem can be a computationally challenging task, especially when a large set of eigenvalues is computed, or just when particularly large eigenvalues are sought. This is a consequence of the highly oscillatory behaviour of the solutions corresponding to high eigenvalues, which forces a naive integrator to take increasingly smaller steps. We will discuss some techniques that yield uniform approximation over the whole eigenvalue spectrum and can take large steps even for high eigenvalues. In particular, we will focus on methods based on coefficient approximation which replace the coefficient functions of the Sturm-Liouville problem by simpler approximations and then solve the approximating problem. The use of (modified) Magnus or Neumann integrators allows to extend the coefficient approximation idea to higher order methods

Centrosymmetric Matrices in the Sinc Collocation Method for Sturm-Liouville Problems

Recently, we used the Sinc collocation method with the double exponential transformation to compute eigenvalues for singular Sturm-Liouville problems. In this work, we show that the computation complexity of the eigenvalues of such a differential eigenvalue problem can be considerably reduced when its operator commutes with the parity operator. In this case, the matrices resulting from the Sinc collocation method are centrosymmetric. Utilizing well known properties of centrosymmetric matrices, we transform the problem of solving one large eigensystem into solving two smaller eigensystems. We show that only 1/(N+1) of all components need to be computed and stored in order to obtain all eigenvalues, where (2N+1) corresponds to the dimension of the eigensystem. We applied our result to the Schr\"odinger equation with the anharmonic potential and the numerical results section clearly illustrates the substantial gain in efficiency and accuracy when using the proposed algorithm.Comment: 11 pages, 4 figure

On CP, LP and other piecewise perturbation methods for the numerical solution of the Schrödinger equation

The piecewise perturbation methods (PPM) have proven to be very efficient for the numerical solution of the linear time-independent Schrödinger equation. The underlying idea is to replace the potential function piecewisely by simpler approximations and then to solve the approximating problem. The accuracy is improved by adding some perturbation corrections. Two types of approximating potentials were considered in the literature, that is piecewise constant and piecewise linear functions, giving rise to the so-called CP methods (CPM) and LP methods (LPM). Piecewise polynomials of higher degree have not been used since the approximating problem is not easy to integrate analytically. As suggested by Ixaru (Comput Phys Commun 177:897–907, 2007), this problem can be circumvented using another perturbative approach to construct an expression for the solution of the approximating problem. In this paper, we show that there is, however, no need to consider PPM based on higher-order polynomials, since these methods are equivalent to the CPM. Also, LPM is equivalent to CPM, although it was sometimes suggested in the literature that an LP method is more suited for problems with strongly varying potentials. We advocate that CP schemes can (and should) be used in all cases, since it forms the most straightforward way of devising PPM and there is no advantage in considering other piecewise polynomial perturbation methods

Interval Subroutine Library Mission

We propose the collection, standardization, and distribution of a full-featured production quality library for reliable scientific computing with routines using interval techniques for use by the wide community of applications developers

Mathematical aspects relative to the fluid statics of a self-gravitating perfect-gas isothermal sphere

In the present paper we analyze and discuss some mathematical aspects of the fluid-static configurations of a self-gravitating perfect gas enclosed in a spherical solid shell. The mathematical model we consider is based on the well-known Lane-Emden equation, albeit under boundary conditions that differ from those usually assumed in the astrophysical literature. The existence of multiple solutions requires particular attention in devising appropriate numerical schemes apt to deal with and catch the solution multiplicity as efficiently and accurately as possible. In sequence, we describe some analytical properties of the model, the two algorithms used to obtain numerical solutions, and the numerical results for two selected cases.Comment: Revision accepted for publication in "Communications in Computational Physics"; 23 pages, 9 figure

Study of special algorithms for solving Sturm-Liouville and Schrodinger equations

In dit proefschrift beschrijven we een specifieke klasse van numerieke methoden voor het oplossen van Sturm-Liouville en Schrodinger vergelijkingen. Ook de Matlab-implementatie van de methoden wordt besproken