Physics-based adaptivity of a spectral method for the Vlasov-Poisson equations based on the asymmetrically-weighted Hermite expansion in velocity space

We propose a spectral method for the 1D-1V Vlasov-Poisson system where the discretization in velocity space is based on asymmetrically-weighted Hermite functions, dynamically adapted via a scaling $\alpha$ and shifting $u$ of the velocity variable. Specifically, at each time instant an adaptivity criterion selects new values of $\alpha$ and $u$ based on the numerical solution of the discrete Vlasov-Poisson system obtained at that time step. Once the new values of the Hermite parameters $\alpha$ and $u$ are fixed, the Hermite expansion is updated and the discrete system is further evolved for the next time step. The procedure is applied iteratively over the desired temporal interval. The key aspects of the adaptive algorithm are: the map between approximation spaces associated with different values of the Hermite parameters that preserves total mass, momentum and energy; and the adaptivity criterion to update $\alpha$ and $u$ based on physics considerations relating the Hermite parameters to the average velocity and temperature of each plasma species. For the discretization of the spatial coordinate, we rely on Fourier functions and use the implicit midpoint rule for time stepping. The resulting numerical method possesses intrinsically the property of fluid-kinetic coupling, where the low-order terms of the expansion are akin to the fluid moments of a macroscopic description of the plasma, while kinetic physics is retained by adding more spectral terms. Moreover, the scheme features conservation of total mass, momentum and energy associated in the discrete, for periodic boundary conditions. A set of numerical experiments confirms that the adaptive method outperforms the non-adaptive one in terms of accuracy and stability of the numerical solution

Recurrence phenomenon for Vlasov-Poisson simulations on regular finite element mesh

In this paper, we focus on one difficulty arising in the numerical simulationof the Vlasov-Poisson system: when using a regular grid-based solver with periodicboundary conditions, perturbations present at the initial time artificially reappear at alater time. For regular finite-element mesh in velocity, we show that this recurrence timeis actually linked to the spectral accuracy of the velocity quadrature when computingthe charge density. In particular, choosing trigonometric quadrature weights optimallydefers the occurence of the recurrence phenomenon. Numerical results using the Semi-Lagrangian Discontinuous Galerkin and the Finite Element / Semi-Lagrangian methodconfirm the analysis

The multi-dimensional Hermite-discontinuous Galerkin method for the Vlasov-Maxwell equations

We discuss the development, analysis, implementation, and numerical assessment of a spectral method for the numerical simulation of the three-dimensional Vlasov-Maxwell equations. The method is based on a spectral expansion of the velocity space with the asymmetrically weighted Hermite functions. The resulting system of time-dependent nonlinear equations is discretized by the discontinuous Galerkin (DG) method in space and by the method of lines for the time integration using explicit Runge-Kutta integrators. The resulting code, called Spectral Plasma Solver (SPS-DG), is successfully applied to standard plasma physics benchmarks to demonstrate its accuracy, robustness, and parallel scalability

Spectral and High Order Methods for Partial Differential Equations ICOSAHOM 2018

This open access book features a selection of high-quality papers from the presentations at the International Conference on Spectral and High-Order Methods 2018, offering an overview of the depth and breadth of the activities within this important research area. The carefully reviewed papers provide a snapshot of the state of the art, while the extensive bibliography helps initiate new research directions

Glosarium Matematika

273 p.; 24 cm