High-order implicit palindromic discontinuous Galerkin method for kinetic-relaxation approximation

We construct a high order discontinuous Galerkin method for solving general hyperbolic systems of conservation laws. The method is CFL-less, matrix-free, has the complexity of an explicit scheme and can be of arbitrary order in space and time. The construction is based on: (a) the representation of the system of conservation laws by a kinetic vectorial representation with a stiff relaxation term; (b) a matrix-free, CFL-less implicit discontinuous Galerkin transport solver; and (c) a stiffly accurate composition method for time integration. The method is validated on several one-dimensional test cases. It is then applied on two-dimensional and three-dimensional test cases: flow past a cylinder, magnetohydrodynamics and multifluid sedimentation

Kinetic simulations of the Chodura and Debye sheaths for magnetic fields with grazing incidence

International audienceWhen an unmagnetized plasma comes in contact with a material surface, the difference in mobility between the electrons and the ions creates a nonneutral layer known as the Debye sheath (DS). However, in magnetic fusion devices, the open magnetic field lines intersect the structural elements of the device with near grazing incidence angles. The magnetic field tends to align the particle flow along its own field lines, thus counteracting the mechanism that leads to the formation of the DS. Recent work using a fluid model [P. Stangeby, Nucl. Fusion 52, 083012 (2012)] showed that the DS disappears when the incidence angle is smaller than a critical value (around 5 • for ITER-like parameters). Here, we study this transition by means of numerical simulations of a kinetic model both in the collisionless and weakly collisional regimes. We show that the main features observed in the fluid model are preserved: for grazing incidence, the space charge density near the wall is reduced, the ion flow is subsonic, and the electric field and plasma density profiles are spread out over several ion Larmor radii instead of a few Debye lengths as in the unmagnetized case. As there is no singularity at the DS entrance in the kinetic model, this phenomenon depends smoothly on the magnetic field incidence angle and no particular critical angle arises. The simulation results and the predictions of the fluid model are in good agreement, although some discrepancies subsist, mainly due to the assumptions of isothermal closure and diagonality of the pressure tensor in the fluid model

Kinetic modeling and numerical simulation of plasma-wall interactions in magnetic fusion devices

International audiencePhysical model In this work we apply a 1D3V kinetic model to the study of plasma wall-interactions relevant to magnetic fusion devices such as Tokamaks. The base physical model describes a plasma in contact with one or two parallel planar material walls, standing for divertor targets plates in the two examples considered here. The direction e x normal to the plate(s) is the only one taken into account, while the system is considered invariant in the (e y , e z) plane. In addition to the self-consistent electric field along e x , particles are subject to the action of a uniform external magnetic field B 0 = B 0 (sin αe x + cos αe y) tilted with respect to the wall surface. For a given species of mass m s and charge q s , the evolution of the distribution function g s (t, x, v) in the 4D phase space is driven by the Vlasov equation ∂ t g s + v x ∂ x g s + q s m s (−∂ x φ e x + v × B 0) · ∇g s = C s (g s) + S s , (1) where the self-consistent electrostatic potential φ is obtained by the Poisson equation ∂ xx φ = −(1/ε 0) ∑ s q s n s and (C s , S s) stand respectively for the contribution of collisional processes and external sources. From a computational point of view, the specificity of our approach is the use of fully Eulerian schemes in our computational codes: the particle distribution function is sampled over a 4D phase-space grid. Smooth and accurate solutions can be obtained even in low density regions without the need for any additional smoothing procedure

Palindromic discontinuous Galerkin method for kinetic equations with stiff relaxation

We present a high order scheme for approximating kinetic equations with stiff relaxation. The objective is to provide efficient methods for solving the underlying system of conservation laws. The construction is based on several ingredients: (i) a high order implicit upwind Discontinuous Galerkin approximation of the kinetic equations with easy-to-solve triangular linear systems; (ii) a second order asymptotic-preserving time integration based on symmetry arguments; (iii) a palindromic composition of the second order method for achieving higher orders in time. The method is then tested at orders 2, 4 and 6. It is asymptotic-preserving with respect to the stiff relaxation and accepts high CFL numbers

Palindromic Discontinuous Galerkin Method

International audienceWe present a high-order scheme for approximating kinetic equations with stiff relaxation. The construction is based on a high-order, implicit, upwind Discontinuous Galerkin formulation of the transport equations. In practice, because of the triangular structure of the implicit system, the computations are explicit. High order in time is achieved thanks to a palindromic composition method. The whole method is asymptotic-preserving with respect to the stiff relaxation and remains stable even with large CFL numbers

High-order implicit palindromic discontinuous Galerkin method for kinetic-relaxation approximation

International audienceWe construct a high order discontinuous Galerkin method for solving general hyperbolic systems of conservation laws. The method is CFL-less, matrix-free, has the complexity of an explicit scheme and can be of arbitrary order in space and time. The construction is based on: (a) the representation of the system of conservation laws by a kinetic vectorial representation with a stiff relaxation term; (b) a matrix-free, CFL-less implicit discontinuous Galerkin transport solver; and (c) a stiffly accurate composition method for time integration. The method is validated on several one-dimensional test cases. It is then applied on two-dimensional and three-dimensional test cases: flow past a cylinder, magnetohydrodynamics and multifluid sedimentation

DMTs and Covid-19 severity in MS: a pooled analysis from Italy and France

We evaluated the effect of DMTs on Covid-19 severity in patients with MS, with a pooled-analysis of two large cohorts from Italy and France. The association of baseline characteristics and DMTs with Covid-19 severity was assessed by multivariate ordinal-logistic models and pooled by a fixed-effect meta-analysis. 1066 patients with MS from Italy and 721 from France were included. In the multivariate model, anti-CD20 therapies were significantly associated (OR = 2.05, 95%CI = 1.39–3.02, p < 0.001) with Covid-19 severity, whereas interferon indicated a decreased risk (OR = 0.42, 95%CI = 0.18–0.99, p = 0.047). This pooled-analysis confirms an increased risk of severe Covid-19 in patients on anti-CD20 therapies and supports the protective role of interferon

Numerical simulation of reduced kinetic models for the study of magnetically confined fusion plasmas

Ce travail de recherche s'inscrit dans la problématique de la compréhension des phénomènes de transport turbulent de l'énergie et des particules au sein des plasmas de coeur des machines de fusion thermonucléaire par confinement magnétique. L'instabilité dite de gradient de température ionique, considérée comme une des sources majeures de transport turbulent, y est étudiée au moyen d'un modèle gyrocinétique. L'originalité de ce travail consiste en l'utilisation d'un modèle réduit, dit "Multi-Water-Bag", qui permet de réduire la dimension du problème tout en préservant les effets cinétiques. Ce modèle est développé dans deux types de géométries de champ de confinement. En géométrie cylindrique, l'évolution de l'instabilité est analysée au travers de trois modèles dynamiques : linéaire, quasi-linéaire et non-linéaire. L'analyse de stabilité linéaire permet d'obtenir les caractéristiques spectrales et géométriques de l'instabilité à partir d'une situation d'équilibre instable. Dans un deuxième temps, la confrontation par le biais de simulations numériques trois modèles dynamiques permet l'examen du développement de la turbulence, ainsi que les premières étapes de la saturation de l'instabilité. En géométrie torique, une analyse linéaire de stabilité est effectuée au moyen de deux méthodes, respectivement par intégration en temps et analyse spectrale, pour obtenir les caractéristiques des modes les plus instables. Pour chacune des géométries envisagées, les diverses méthodes numériques implémentées sont décrites et leurs performances évaluées. Une attention particulière est portée tout au long de ce travail à la mise en balance des coûts et bénéfices de la réduction Multi-Water-BagThe research exposed therein is developed in the context of the study of turbulent energy and particle transport phenomena occuring in magnetically confined fusion plasmas. A study of the ion temperature gradient instability, one of the main sources of such turbulent transport, is carried out using a gyrokinetic model. The main originality of this work lies in the use of a reduced model, the so-called Multi-Water-Bag model, which allows to reduce the problem dimension while preserving kinetic effects. The model is developed in two types of confinement field geometries. In cylindrical geometry, the growth of the instability is analysed by the mean of three dynamical models : linear, quasi-linear and non-linear. Starting from a given unstable stationary state, linear stability analysis allows one to obtain spectral and geometrical characteristics of the instability. In a second phase, comparing results of numerical simulations implementing the three dynamical models, the growth of turbulence is analysed as well as the first stages of non-linear saturation of the instability. In toroidal geometry, a linear stability analysis is performed. Two different methods, time-based and spectral, were implemented in order to obtain the spectral and geometrical characteristics of the most unstable modes. In both field geometries encompassed by this research, the numerical methods used to obtain the results are described and their performances analyzed. Throughout the work, particular care is given to the balance between the benefits and costs of the Multi-Water-Bag reductio

Simulation numérique de modèles cinétiques réduits pour l'étude de la dynamique des plasmas de fusion par confinement magnétique

The research exposed therein is developed in the context of the study of turbulent energy and particle transport phenomena occuring in magnetically confined fusion plasmas. A study of the ion temperature gradient instability, one of the main sources of such turbulent transport, is carried out using a gyrokinetic model. The main originality of this work lies in the use of a reduced model, the so-called Multi-Water-Bag model, which allows to reduce the problem dimension while preserving kinetic effects. The model is developed in two types of confinement field geometries. In cylindrical geometry, the growth of the instability is analysed by the mean of three dynamical models : linear, quasi-linear and non-linear. Starting from a given unstable stationary state, linear stability analysis allows one to obtain spectral and geometrical characteristics of the instability. In a second phase, comparing results of numerical simulations implementing the three dynamical models, the growth of turbulence is analysed as well as the first stages of non-linear saturation of the instability. In toroidal geometry, a linear stability analysis is performed. Two different methods, time-based and spectral, were implemented in order to obtain the spectral and geometrical characteristics of the most unstable modes. In both field geometries encompassed by this research, the numerical methods used to obtain the results are described and their performances analyzed. Throughout the work, particular care is given to the balance between the benefits and costs of the Multi-Water-Bag reductionCe travail de recherche s'inscrit dans la problématique de la compréhension des phénomènes de transport turbulent de l'énergie et des particules au sein des plasmas de coeur des machines de fusion thermonucléaire par confinement magnétique. L'instabilité dite de gradient de température ionique, considérée comme une des sources majeures de transport turbulent, y est étudiée au moyen d'un modèle gyrocinétique. L'originalité de ce travail consiste en l'utilisation d'un modèle réduit, dit "Multi-Water-Bag", qui permet de réduire la dimension du problème tout en préservant les effets cinétiques. Ce modèle est développé dans deux types de géométries de champ de confinement. En géométrie cylindrique, l'évolution de l'instabilité est analysée au travers de trois modèles dynamiques : linéaire, quasi-linéaire et non-linéaire. L'analyse de stabilité linéaire permet d'obtenir les caractéristiques spectrales et géométriques de l'instabilité à partir d'une situation d'équilibre instable. Dans un deuxième temps, la confrontation par le biais de simulations numériques trois modèles dynamiques permet l'examen du développement de la turbulence, ainsi que les premières étapes de la saturation de l'instabilité. En géométrie torique, une analyse linéaire de stabilité est effectuée au moyen de deux méthodes, respectivement par intégration en temps et analyse spectrale, pour obtenir les caractéristiques des modes les plus instables. Pour chacune des géométries envisagées, les diverses méthodes numériques implémentées sont décrites et leurs performances évaluées. Une attention particulière est portée tout au long de ce travail à la mise en balance des coûts et bénéfices de la réduction Multi-Water-Ba