An explicit formula for the coefficients in Laplace's method

Laplace's method is one of the fundamental techniques in the asymptotic approximation of integrals. The coefficients appearing in the resulting asymptotic expansion, arise as the coefficients of a convergent or asymptotic series of a function defined in an implicit form. Due to the tedious computation of these coefficients, most standard textbooks on asymptotic approximations of integrals do not give explicit formulas for them. Nevertheless, we can find some more or less explicit representations for the coefficients in the literature: Perron's formula gives them in terms of derivatives of an explicit function; Campbell, Fr\"oman and Walles simplified Perron's method by computing these derivatives using an explicit recurrence relation. The most recent contribution is due to Wojdylo, who rediscovered the Campbell, Fr\"oman and Walles formula and rewrote it in terms of partial ordinary Bell polynomials. In this paper, we provide an alternative representation for the coefficients, which contains ordinary potential polynomials. The proof is based on Perron's formula and a theorem of Comtet. The asymptotic expansions of the gamma function and the incomplete gamma function are given as illustrations.Comment: 14 pages, to appear in Constructive Approximatio

The Numerical Solution of the Exterior Impedance (Robin) Problem for the Helmholtz’s Equation via Modified Galerkin Method: Superllipsoid

This thesis focuses on finding the solution for the exterior Robin Problem for the Helmholtz Equation and therefore, determines how a convergent smooth surface depending on its outer shape, in this case the superellipsoid, responds to different outer waves. The primary purpose is to calculate the possibility of a certain object, acquiring sufficient conditions, to either submerge under respectively high water pressure or maintain in outer space; if applicable, this approach can be used for a new efficient design of a portion of a submarine or part of a space craft, the second of more interest to NASA, one of my sponsors. In this thesis, I analyze the numerical solution for the Helmholtz equation in 3 Dimensions, for the superellipsoid for the Robin Boundary Condition and answer the question of how a surface reacts to incoming waves approaching from various directions. Would the object tend to the extremes of either absorbing or reflecting everything with which it comes into contact, or would it obtain a neutral combination of the two

Boundary conditions for the numerical solution of elliptic equations in exterior regions

Elliptic equations in exterior regions frequently require a boundary condition at infinity to ensure the well-posedness of the problem. Examples of practical applications include the Helmholtz equation and Laplace's equation. Computational procedures based on a direct discretization of the elliptic problem require the replacement of the condition on a finite artificial surface. Direct imposition of the condition at infinity along the finite boundary results in large errors. A sequence of boundary conditions is developed which provides increasingly accurate approximations to the problem in the infinite domain. Estimates of the error due to the finite boundary are obtained for several cases. Computations are presented which demonstrate the increased accuracy that can be obtained by the use of the higher order boundary conditions. The examples are based on a finite element formulation but finite difference methods can also be used

Baffling of fluid sloshing in cylindrical tanks Final report

Annular baffle for damping liquid oscillations in partially filled cylindrical tan

Development of high accuracy and resolution geoid and gravity maps

Precision satellite to satellite tracking can be used to obtain high precision and resolution maps of the geoid. A method is demonstrated to use data in a limited region to map the geopotential at the satellite altitude. An inverse method is used to downward continue the potential to the Earth surface. The method is designed for both satellites in the same low orbit

Comparison of uniform perturbation solutions and numerical solutions for some potential flows past slender bodies

Approximate solutions for potential flow past an axisymmetric slender body and past a thin airfoil are calculated using a uniform perturbation method and then compared with either the exact analytical solution or the solution obtained using a purely numerical method. The perturbation method is based upon a representation of the disturbance flow as the superposition of singularities distributed entirely within the body, while the numerical (panel) method is based upon a distribution of singularities on the surface of the body. It is found that the perturbation method provides very good results for small values of the slenderness ratio and for small angles of attack. Moreover, for comparable accuracy, the perturbation method is simpler to implement, requires less computer memory, and generally uses less computation time than the panel method. In particular, the uniform perturbation method yields good resolution near the regions of the leading and trailing edges where other methods fail or require special attention

Smooth approximation of data on the sphere with splines

A computable function, defined over the sphere, is constructed, which is of classC1 at least and which approximates a given set of data. The construction is based upon tensor product spline basisfunctions, while at the poles of the spherical system of coordinates modified basisfunctions, suggested by the spherical harmonics expansion, are introduced to recover the continuity order at these points. Convergence experiments, refining the grid, are performed and results are compared with similar results available in literature.\ud \ud The approximation accuracy is compared with that of the expansion in terms of spherical harmonics. The use of piecewise approximation, with locally supported basisfunctions, versus approximation with spherical harmonics is discussed

On orthogonal collocation solutions of partial differential equations

In contrast to the h-version most frequently used, a p-version of the Orthogonal Collocation Method as applied to differential equations in two-dimensional domains is examined. For superior accuracy and convergence, the collocation points are chosen to be the zeros of a Legendre polynomial plus the two endpoints. Hence the method is called the Legendre Collocation Method. The approximate solution in an element is written as a Lagrange interpolation polynomial. This form of the approximate solution makes it possible to fully automate the method on a personal computer using conventional memory. The Legendre Collocation Method provides a formula for the derivatives in terms of the values of the function in matrix form. The governing differential equation and boundary conditions are satisfied by matrix equations at the collocation points. The resulting set of simultaneous equations is then solved for the values of the solution function using LU decomposition and back substitution. The Legendre Collocation Method is applied further to the problems containing singularities. To obtain an accurate approximation in a neighborhood of the singularity, an eigenfunction solution is specifically formulated to the given problem, and its coefficients are determined by least-squares or minimax approximation techniques utilizing the results previously obtained by the Le Legendre Collocation Method. This combined method gives accurate results for the values of the solution function and its derivatives in a neighborhood of the singularity. All results of a selected number of example problems are compared with the available solutions. Numerical experiments confirm the superior accuracy in the computed values of the solution function at the collocation points