Convergence analysis of energy conserving explicit local time-stepping methods for the wave equation

Local adaptivity and mesh refinement are key to the efficient simulation of wave phenomena in heterogeneous media or complex geometry. Locally refined meshes, however, dictate a small time-step everywhere with a crippling effect on any explicit time-marching method. In [18] a leap-frog (LF) based explicit local time-stepping (LTS) method was proposed, which overcomes the severe bottleneck due to a few small elements by taking small time-steps in the locally refined region and larger steps elsewhere. Here a rigorous convergence proof is presented for the fully-discrete LTS-LF method when combined with a standard conforming finite element method (FEM) in space. Numerical results further illustrate the usefulness of the LTS-LF Galerkin FEM in the presence of corner singularities

hp-version time domain boundary elements for the wave equation on quasi-uniform meshes

Solutions to the wave equation in the exterior of a polyhedral domain or a screen in $\mathbb{R}^3$ exhibit singular behavior from the edges and corners. We present quasi-optimal $hp$-explicit estimates for the approximation of the Dirichlet and Neumann traces of these solutions for uniform time steps and (globally) quasi-uniform meshes on the boundary. The results are applied to an $hp$-version of the time domain boundary element method. Numerical examples confirm the theoretical results for the Dirichlet problem both for screens and polyhedral domains.Comment: 41 pages, 11 figure

Uncertainty Quantification by MLMC and Local Time-stepping For Wave Propagation

Because of their robustness, efficiency and non-intrusiveness, Monte Carlo methods are probably the most popular approach in uncertainty quantification to computing expected values of quantities of interest (QoIs). Multilevel Monte Carlo (MLMC) methods significantly reduce the computational cost by distributing the sampling across a hierarchy of discretizations and allocating most samples to the coarser grids. For time dependent problems, spatial coarsening typically entails an increased time-step. Geometric constraints, however, may impede uniform coarsening thereby forcing some elements to remain small across all levels. If explicit time-stepping is used, the time-step will then be dictated by the smallest element on each level for numerical stability. Hence, the increasingly stringent CFL condition on the time-step on coarser levels significantly reduces the advantages of the multilevel approach. By adapting the time-step to the locally refined elements on each level, local time-stepping (LTS) methods permit to restore the efficiency of MLMC methods even in the presence of complex geometry without sacrificing the explicitness and inherent parallelism

Uncertainty quantification by multilevel Monte Carlo and local time-stepping

Because of their robustness, efficiency, and non intrusiveness, Monte Carlo methods are probablythe most popular approach in uncertainty quantification for computing expected values of quantitiesof interest. Multilevel Monte Carlo (MLMC) methods significantly reduce the computational costby distributing the sampling across a hierarchy of discretizations and allocating most samples tothe coarser grids. For time dependent problems, spatial coarsening typically entails an increasedtime step. Geometric constraints, however, may impede uniform coarsening thereby forcing someelements to remain small across all levels. If explicit time-stepping is used, the time step will thenbe dictated by the smallest element on each level for numerical stability. Hence, the increasinglystringent CFL condition on the time step on coarser levels significantly reduces the advantages of themultilevel approach. To overcome that bottleneck we propose to combine the multilevel approach ofMLMC with local time-stepping. By adapting the time step to the locally refined elements on eachlevel, the efficiency of MLMC methods is restored even in the presence of complex geometry withoutsacrificing the explicitness and inherent parallelism. In a careful cost comparison, we quantify thereduction in computational cost for local refinement either inside a small fixed region or towards areentrant corner

Error Estimates for FE-BE Coupling of Scattering of Waves in the Time Domain

This article considers a coupled finite and boundary element method for an interface problem for the acoustic wave equation. Well-posedness, a priori and a posteriori error estimates are discussed for a symmetric space-time Galerkin discretization related to the energy. Numerical experiments in three dimensions illustrate the performance of the method in model problems. © 2022 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston 2022

Multi-level local time-stepping methods of Runge-Kutta type forwave equations

Local mesh refinement significantly in uences the performance of explicit time-stepping methods for numerical wave propagation. Local time-stepping (LTS) methods improve the efficiency by using smaller time-steps precisely where the smallest mesh elements are located, thus permitting a larger time-step in the coarser regions of the mesh without violating the stability condition. However, when the mesh contains nested patches of refinement, any local time-step will be unnecessarily small in some regions. To allow for an appropriate time-step at each level of mesh refinement, multi-level local time-stepping (MLTS) methods have been proposed. Starting from the Runge{Kutta-based LTS methods derived by Grote et al. [17], we propose explicit MLTS methods of arbitrarily high accuracy. Numerical experiments with finite difference and continuous finite element spatial discretizations illustrate the usefulness of the novel MLTS methods and show that they retain the high accuracy and stability of the underlying Runge{Kutta methods

A space-time quasi-Trefftz DG method for the wave equation with piecewise-smooth coefficients

Trefftz methods are high-order Galerkin schemes in which all discrete functions are elementwise solution of the PDE to be approximated. They are viable only when the PDE is linear and its coefficients are piecewise constant. We introduce a 'quasi-Trefftz' discontinuous Galerkin method for the discretisation of the acoustic wave equation with piecewise-smooth wavespeed: the discrete functions are elementwise approximate PDE solutions. We show that the new discretisation enjoys the same excellent approximation properties as the classical Trefftz one, and prove stability and high-order convergence of the DG scheme. We introduce polynomial basis functions for the new discrete spaces and describe a simple algorithm to compute them. The technique we propose is inspired by the generalised plane waves previously developed for time-harmonic problems with variable coefficients; it turns out that in the case of the time-domain wave equation under consideration the quasi-Trefftz approach allows for polynomial basis functions.Comment: 25 pages, 9 figure

Boundary elements with mesh refinements for the wave equation

The solution of the wave equation in a polyhedral domain in $\mathbb{R}^3$ admits an asymptotic singular expansion in a neighborhood of the corners and edges. In this article we formulate boundary and screen problems for the wave equation as equivalent boundary integral equations in time domain, study the regularity properties of their solutions and the numerical approximation. Guided by the theory for elliptic equations, graded meshes are shown to recover the optimal approximation rates known for smooth solutions. Numerical experiments illustrate the theory for screen problems. In particular, we discuss the Dirichlet and Neumann problems, as well as the Dirichlet-to-Neumann operator and applications to the sound emission of tires.Comment: 45 pages, to appear in Numerische Mathemati

Space-time discontinuous Galerkin approximation of acoustic waves with point singularities

We develop a convergence theory of space-time discretizations for the linear, 2nd-order wave equation in polygonal domains $\Omega\subset\mathbb{R}^2$, possibly occupied by piecewise homogeneous media with different propagation speeds. Building on an unconditionally stable space-time DG formulation developed in [Moiola, Perugia 2018], we (a) prove optimal convergence rates for the space-time scheme with local isotropic corner mesh refinement on the spatial domain, and (b) demonstrate numerically optimal convergence rates of a suitable \emph{sparse} space-time version of the DG scheme. The latter scheme is based on the so-called \emph{combination formula}, in conjunction with a family of anisotropic space-time DG-discretizations. It results in optimal-order convergent schemes, also in domains with corners, with a number of degrees of freedom that scales essentially like the DG solution of one stationary elliptic problem in $\Omega$ on the finest spatial grid. Numerical experiments for both smooth and singular solutions support convergence rate optimality on spatially refined meshes of the full and sparse space-time DG schemes.Comment: 38 pages, 8 figure

Space-time discontinuous Galerkin approximation of acoustic waves with point singularities

We develop a convergence theory of space-time discretizations for the linear, 2nd-order wave equation in polygonal domains $\Omega\subset\mathbb{R}^2$, possibly occupied by piecewise homogeneous media with different propagation speeds. Building on an unconditionally stable space-time DG formulation developed in [Moiola, Perugia 2018], we (a) prove optimal convergence rates for the space-time scheme with local isotropic corner mesh refinement on the spatial domain, and (b) demonstrate numerically optimal convergence rates of a suitable \emph{sparse} space-time version of the DG scheme. The latter scheme is based on the so-called \emph{combination formula}, in conjunction with a family of anisotropic space-time DG-discretizations. It results in optimal-order convergent schemes, also in domains with corners, with a number of degrees of freedom that scales essentially like the DG solution of one stationary elliptic problem in $\Omega$ on the finest spatial grid. Numerical experiments for both smooth and singular solutions support convergence rate optimality on spatially refined meshes of the full and sparse space-time DG schemes.Comment: 38 pages, 8 figure