Higher Order A-Stable Schemes for the Wave Equation Using a Successive Convolution Approach

In several recent works, we developed a new second order, A-stable approach to wave propagation problems based on the method of lines transpose (MOL$^T$) formulation combined with alternating direction implicit (ADI) schemes. Because our method is based on an integral solution of the ADI splitting of the MOL$^T$ formulation, we are able to easily embed non-Cartesian boundaries and include point sources with exact spatial resolution. Further, we developed an efficient $O(N)$ convolution algorithm for rapid evaluation of the solution, which makes our method competitive with explicit finite difference (e.g., finite difference time domain) solvers, in terms of both accuracy and time to solution, even for Courant numbers slightly larger than 1. We have demonstrated the utility of this method by applying it to a range of problems with complex geometry, including cavities with cusps. In this work, we present several important modifications to our recently developed wave solver. We obtain a family of wave solvers which are unconditionally stable, accurate of order $2P$, and require $O(P^d N)$ operations per time step, where $N$ is the number of spatial points and $d$ the number of spatial dimensions. We obtain these schemes by including higher derivatives of the solution, rather than increasing the number of time levels. The novel aspect of our approach is that the higher derivatives are constructed using successive applications of the convolution operator. We develop these schemes in one spatial dimension, and then extend the results to higher dimensions, by reformulating the ADI scheme to include recursive convolution. Thus, we retain a fast, unconditionally stable scheme, which does not suffer from the large dispersion errors characteristic to the ADI method. We demonstrate the utility of the method by applying it to a host of wave propagation problems. This method holds great promise for developing higher order, parallelizable algorithms for solving hyperbolic PDEs and can also be extended to parabolic PDEs

Status of research at the Institute for Computer Applications in Science and Engineering (ICASE)

Research conducted at the Institute for Computer Applications in Science and Engineering in applied mathematics, numerical analysis and computer science is summarized

An Accurate and Robust Numerical Scheme for Transport Equations

En esta tesis se presenta una nueva técnica de discretización para ecuaciones de transporte en problemas de convección-difusión para el rango completo de números de Péclet. La discretización emplea el flujo exacto de una ecuación de transporte unidimensional en estado estacionario para deducir una ecuación discreta de tres puntos en problemas unidimensionales y cinco puntos en problemas bidimensionales. Con "flujo exacto" se entiende que se puede obtener la solución exacta en función de integrales de algunos parámetros del fluido y flujo, incluso si estos parámetros son vari- ables en un volumen de control. Las cuadraturas de alto orden se utilizan para lograr resultados numéricos cercanos a la precisión de la máquina, incluso con mallas bastas.Como la discretización es esencialmente unidimensional, no está garantizada una solución con precisión de máquina para problemas multidimensionales, incluso en los casos en que las integrales a lo largo de cada coordenada cartesiana tienen una primitiva. En este sentido, la contribución principal de esta tesis consiste en una forma simple y elegante de obtener soluciones en problemas multidimensionales sin dejar de utilizar la formulación unidimensional. Además, si el problema es tal que la solución tiene precisión de máquina en el problema unidimensional a lo largo de las líneas coordenadas, también la tendrá para el dominio multidimensional.In this thesis, we present a novel discretization technique for transport equations in convection-diffusion problems across the whole range of Péclet numbers. The discretization employs the exact flux of a steady-state one-dimensional transport equation to derive a discrete equation with a three-point stencil in one-dimensional problems and a five-point stencil in two-dimensional ones. With "exact flux" it is meant that the exact solution can be obtained as a function of integrals of some fluid and flow parameters, even if these parameters are variable across a control volume. High-order quadratures are used to achieve numerical results close to machine- accuracy even with coarse grids. As the discretization is essentially one-dimensional, getting the machine- accurate solution of multidimensional problems is not guaranteed even in cases where the integrals along each Cartesian coordinate have a primitive. In this regard, the main contribution of this thesis consists in a simple and elegant way of getting solutions in multidimensional problems while still using the one-dimensional formulation. Moreover, if the problem is such that the solution is machine-accurate in the one-dimensional problem along coordinate lines, it will also be for the multidimensional domain.<br /