Monolithic Multigrid for Magnetohydrodynamics

The magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) equations model a wide range of plasma physics applications and are characterized by a nonlinear system of partial differential equations that strongly couples a charged fluid with the evolution of electromagnetic fields. After discretization and linearization, the resulting system of equations is generally difficult to solve due to the coupling between variables, and the heterogeneous coefficients induced by the linearization process. In this paper, we investigate multigrid preconditioners for this system based on specialized relaxation schemes that properly address the system structure and coupling. Three extensions of Vanka relaxation are proposed and applied to problems with up to 170 million degrees of freedom and fluid and magnetic Reynolds numbers up to 400 for stationary problems and up to 20,000 for time-dependent problems

Hybridized discontinuous Galerkin methods for magnetohydrodynamics

Discontinuous Galerkin (DG) methods combine the advantages of classical finite element and finite volume methods. Like finite volume methods, through the use of discontinuous spaces in the discrete functional setting, we automatically have local conservation, an essential property for a numerical method to behave well when applied to hyperbolic conservation laws. Like classical finite element methods, DG methods allow for higher order approximations with compact stencils. For time-dependent problems with implicit time stepping and for steady-state problems, DG methods give a larger globally coupled linear system than continuous Galerkin methods (especially for three dimensional problems and low polynomial orders). The primary motivation of the hybridized (or hybridizable) discontinuous Galerkin (HDG) methods is to reduce the number of globally coupled unknowns in DG methods when implicit time stepping or direct-to-steady-state solutions are desired. This is accomplished by the introduction of new “trace unknowns” defined on the mesh skeleton, the definition of one-sided numerical fluxes, and the enforcement of local conservation. This results in a globally coupled linear system where the local “volume unknowns” can be eliminated in a Schur complement procedure, resulting in a reduced globally coupled system in terms of only the trace unknowns. Magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) is the study of the flow of electrically conducting fluids under the influence of magnetic fields. The MHD equations are used to describe important physical phenomena including laboratory plasmas (plasma confinement in fusion energy devices), astrophysical plasmas (solar coronas, planetary magnetospheres) and liquid metal flows (metallurgy processes, the Earth’s molten core, cooling for nuclear reactors). Incompressible MHD, which is the main focus of this work, is relevant in low Lundquist number liquid metals, in high Lundquist number, large guide field fusion plasmas, and in low Mach number compressible flows. The equations of MHD are highly nonlinear, and are characterized by physical phenomena spanning wide ranges of length and time scales. For numerical methods, this presents challenges in both spatial and temporal discretization. In terms of temporal discretization, fully implicit numerical methods are attractive in their robustness; they allow for stable, high-order time integration over long time scales of interest.Computational Science, Engineering, and Mathematic

Fast and scalable solvers for high-order hybridized discontinuous Galerkin methods with applications to fluid dynamics and magnetohydrodynamics

The hybridized discontinuous Galerkin methods (HDG) introduced a decade ago is a promising candidate for high-order spatial discretization combined with implicit/implicit-explicit time stepping. Roughly speaking, HDG methods combines the advantages of both discontinuous Galerkin (DG) methods and hybridized methods. In particular, it enjoys the benefits of equal order spaces, upwinding and ability to handle large gradients of DG methods as well as the smaller globally coupled linear system, adaptivity, and multinumeric capabilities of hybridized methods. However, the main bottleneck in HDG methods, limiting its use to small to moderate sized problems, is the lack of scalable linear solvers. In this thesis we develop fast and scalable solvers for HDG methods consisting of domain decomposition, multigrid and multilevel solvers/preconditioners with an ultimate focus on simulating large scale problems in fluid dynamics and magnetohydrodynamics (MHD). First, we propose a domain decomposition based solver namely iterative HDG for partial differential equations (PDEs). It is a fixed point iterative scheme, with each iteration consisting only of element-by-element and face-by-face embarrassingly parallel solves. Using energy analysis we prove the convergence of the schemes for scalar and system of hyperbolic PDEs and verify the results numerically. We then propose a novel geometric multigrid approach for HDG methods based on fine scale Dirichlet-to-Neumann maps. The algorithm combines the robustness of algebraic multigrid methods due to operator dependent intergrid transfer operators and at the same time has fixed coarse grid construction costs due to its geometric nature. For diffusion dominated PDEs such as the Poisson and the Stokes equations the algorithm gives almost perfect hp--scalability. Next, we propose a multilevel algorithm by combining the concepts of nested dissection, a fill-in reducing ordering strategy, variational structure and high-order properties of HDG, and domain decomposition. Thanks to its root in direct solver strategy the performance of the solver is almost independent of the nature of the PDEs and mostly depends on the smoothness of the solution. We demonstrate this numerically with several prototypical PDEs. Finally, we propose a block preconditioning strategy for HDG applied to incompressible visco-resistive MHD. We use a least squares commutator approximation for the inverse of the Schur complement and algebraic multigrid or the multilevel preconditioner for the approximate inverse of the nodal block. With several 2D and 3D transient examples we demonstrate the robustness and parallel scalability of the block preconditionerAerospace Engineerin

Monolithic multigrid methods for high-order discretizations of time-dependent PDEs

A currently growing interest is seen in developing solvers that couple high-fidelity and higher-order spatial discretization schemes with higher-order time stepping methods for various time-dependent fluid plasma models. These problems are famously known to be stiff, thus only implicit time-stepping schemes with certain stability properties can be used. Of the most powerful choices are the implicit Runge-Kutta methods (IRK). However, they are multi-stage, often producing a very large and nonsymmetric system of equations that needs to be solved at each time step. There have been recent efforts on developing efficient and robust solvers for these systems. We have accomplished this by using a Newton-Krylov-multigrid approach that applies a multigrid preconditioner monolithically, preserving the system couplings, and uses Newton’s method for linearization wherever necessary. We show robustness of our solver on the single-fluid magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) model, along with the (Navier-)Stokes and Maxwell’s equations. For all these, we couple IRK with higher-order (mixed) finiteelement (FEM) spatial discretizations. In the Navier-Stokes problem, we further explore achieving more higher-order approximations by using nonconforming mixed FEM spaces with added penalty terms for stability. While in the Maxwell problem, we focus on the rarely used E-B form, where both electric and magnetic fields are differentiated in time, and overcome the difficulty of using FEM on curved domains by using an elasticity solve on each level in the non-nested hierarchy of meshes in the multigrid method

Topics in Magnetohydrodynamics

To understand plasma physics intuitively one need to master the MHD behaviors. As sciences advance, gap between published textbooks and cutting-edge researches gradually develops. Connection from textbook knowledge to up-to-dated research results can often be tough. Review articles can help. This book contains eight topical review papers on MHD. For magnetically confined fusion one can find toroidal MHD theory for tokamaks, magnetic relaxation process in spheromaks, and the formation and stability of field-reversed configuration. In space plasma physics one can get solar spicules and X-ray jets physics, as well as general sub-fluid theory. For numerical methods one can find the implicit numerical methods for resistive MHD and the boundary control formalism. For low temperature plasma physics one can read theory for Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids etc

MHD Turbulence: A Biased Review

This review puts the developments of the last few years in the context of the canonical time line (Kolmogorov to Iroshnikov-Kraichnan to Goldreich-Sridhar to Boldyrev). It is argued that Beresnyak's objection that Boldyrev's alignment theory violates the RMHD rescaling symmetry can be reconciled with alignment if the latter is understood as an intermittency effect. Boldyrev's scalings, recovered in this interpretation, are thus an example of a physical theory of intermittency in a turbulent system. Emergence of aligned structures brings in reconnection physics, so the theory of MHD turbulence intertwines with the physics of tearing and current-sheet disruption. Recent work on this by Loureiro, Mallet et al. is reviewed and it is argued that we finally have a reasonably complete picture of MHD cascade all the way to the dissipation scale. This picture appears to reconcile Beresnyak's Kolmogorov scaling of the dissipation cutoff with Boldyrev's aligned cascade. These ideas also enable some progress in understanding saturated MHD dynamo, argued to be controlled by reconnection and to contain, at small scales, a tearing-mediated cascade similar to its strong-mean-field counterpart. On the margins of this core narrative, standard weak-MHD-turbulence theory is argued to require adjustment - and a scheme for it is proposed - to take account of the part that a spontaneously emergent 2D condensate plays in mediating the Alfven-wave cascade. This completes the picture of the MHD cascade at large scales. A number of outstanding issues are surveyed, concerning imbalanced MHD turbulence (for which a new theory is proposed), residual energy, subviscous and decaying regimes of MHD turbulence (where reconnection again features prominently). Finally, it is argued that the natural direction of research is now away from MHD and into kinetic territory.Comment: 188 pages, 49 figures; (re)submitted to JPP; this version is substantially modified from v1, especially secs 7.3, 8.2, 11, 12.4, 13.4 and appendices B.3, C.5, C.