Monte Carlo Photon Transport On Shared Memory and Distributed Memory Parallel Processors

Parallelized Monte Carlo algorithms for analyzing photon transport in an inertially confined fusion (ICF) plasma are consid ered. Algorithms were developed for shared memory (vector and scalar) and distributed memory (scalar) parallel pro cessors. The shared memory algorithm was implemented on the IBM 3090/400, and timing results are presented for dedi cated runs with two, three, and four pro cessors. Two alternative distributed memory algorithms (replication and dis patching) were implemented on a hyper cube parallel processor (1 through 64 nodes). The replication algorithm yields essentially full efficiency for all cube sizes; with the 64-node configuration, the absolute performance is nearly the same as with the CRAY X-MP The dispatching algorithm also yields efficiencies above 80% in a large simulation for the 64-pro cessor configuration.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/67146/2/10.1177_109434208700100306.pd

Continued fraction solution for the radiative transfer equation in three dimensions

Starting from the radiative transfer equation, we obtain an analytical solution for both the free propagator along one of the axes and an arbitrary phase function in the Fourier-Laplace domain. We also find the effective absorption parameter, which turns out to be very different from the one provided by the diffusion approximation. We finally present an analytical approximation procedure and obtain a differential equation that accurately reproduces the transport process. We test our approximations by means of simulations that use the Henyey-Greenstein phase function with very satisfactory results