Moment methods from the kinetic theory of gases exist as an alternative to the Navier-Stokes model. Models in this family are described by first-order hyperbolic PDEs with local relaxation. They provide a natural treatment for non-equilibrium effects and expand the regime for which the model is physically applicable past the Navier-Stokes level (when the continuum assumption breaks down). Discontinuous-Galerkin (DG) methods are very well suited for distributed parallel solution of first-order PDEs. This is because the optimal locality of the method minimizes needed communication between computational processes. One highly efficient, coupled space-time DG method that achieves third-order accuracy in both space and time while using only linear elements is the discontinuous-Galerkin Hancock (DGH) scheme, which was specifically designed for the efficient solution of PDEs resulting from moment closures. Third-order accuracy is obtained through the use of a technique originally proposed by Hancock. The combination of moment methods with the DGH discretization leads to a very efficient numerical treatment for viscous compressible gas flows that is accurate both in and out of local thermodynamic equilibrium. This thesis describe the first-ever implementation of this scheme for the solution of moment equations on large-scale distributed-memory computers. This implementation uses solution-directed automatic mesh refinement to increase accuracy while reducing cost. A linear hyperbolic-relaxation equation is used to verify the order of accuracy of the scheme. Next a supersonic compressible Euler case is used to demonstrate the mesh refinement as well as the scheme’s ability to capture sharp discontinuities. Third, a moment-closure is then used to compute a viscous mixing layer. This serves to demonstrate the ability of the first-order PDEs and the DG scheme to efficiently compute viscous solutions. A moment-closure is used to compute the solution for Stokes flow past a circular cylinder. This case reinforces the hyperbolic PDEs’ ability to accurately predict viscous phenomena. As this case is very low speed, it also demonstrates the numerical technique’s ability to accurately solve problems that are ill-conditioned due to the extremely low Mach number. Finally, the parallel efficiency of the scheme is evaluated on Canada’s largest supercomputer. It may be surprising to some that viscous flow behaviour can be accurately predicted by first-order PDEs. However, the applicability of hyperbolic moment methods to both continuum and non-equilibrium gas flows is now well established. Such a first-order treatment brings many physical and computational advantages to gas flow prediction.

A Discontinuous Galerkin Time Domain method (DGTD), using a fourth order Runge-Kutta time-stepping of Maxwell's equations, was applied to the simulation of the optical properties of dielectric particles in two-dimensional (2-D) geometry. As examples of the numerical implementation of this method, the single-scattering properties of 2D circular and hexagonal particles are presented. In the case of circular particles, the scattering phase matrix was computed using the DGTD method and compared with the exact solution. For hexagonal particles, the DGTD method was used to compute single-scattering properties of randomly oriented 2-D hexagonal ice crystals, and results were compared with those calculated using a geometric optics method. Both shortwave (visible) and longwave (infrared) cases are considered, with particle size parameters 50 and 100. Ice in shortwave and longwave cases is absorptive and non-absorptive, respectively. The comparisons between DG solutions and the exact solutions in computing the optical properties of circular ice crystals reveal the applicability of the DG method to calculations of both absorptive and non-absorptive particles. In the hexagonal case scattering results are also presented as a function of both incident and scattering angles, revealing structure apparently not reported before. Using the geometric optics method we are able to interpret this structure in terms of contributions from varying numbers of internal reflections within the crystal.

In this paper a continuous Galerkin multiscale method (CGMM) and a discontinuous Galerkin multiscale method (DGMM) are proposed, both based on the variational multiscale method for solving partial differential equations numerically. The solution is decoupled into a coarse and a fine scale contribution, where the fine-scale contribution is computed on patches with localized right hand side. Numerical experiments are presented where exponential decay of the error is observed when increasing the size of the patches for both CGMM and DGMM. DGMM gives much better accuracy when the same size of the patches are used.

The discontinuous Galerkin method (DGM) is applied to a number of problems in computational electromagnetics. This is achieved by obtaining numerical solutions to Maxwell's equations using the DGM. The aim of these simulations is to highlight the strengths of the method while showing its resilience in handling problems other schemes may not be able to accurately model. Although no method will ever be the best choice for every problem in electromagnetics, the discontinuous Galerkin method is able to accurately approximate any problem, although the computational costs can make the scheme impractical for some. Like other time domain schemes, the DGM becomes inefficient on large domains where the solution contains small wavelengths. We demonstrate that all of the different types of boundary conditions in electromagnetic wave propagation can be implemented into the DGM. Reflection and transmission boundaries fit easily into the framework, whereas perfect absorption requires a more advanced technique known as the perfectly matched layer. We begin by simulating mirrors with several different geometries, and analyze how the DGM method performs, and how it offers a more complete evaluation of the behavior in this problem than some other methods. Since Maxwell's equations describe the macroscopic features of electromagnetics, our simulations are able to capture the wave features of electromagnetics, such as interference and diffraction. We demonstrate this by accurately modelling Young's double slit experiment, a classic experiment which features well understood interference and diffraction phenomena. We also extend the basic electromagnetic wave propagation simulations to include situations where the waves travel into new media. The formulation of the DGM for Maxwell's equations allows the numerical solutions to accurately resolve the features at the interface of two media as predicted by the Fresnel coefficients. This allows the DGM to model lenses and other sources of refraction. We predict that the DGM will become an increasingly valuable method for computational electromagnetics because of its wide range of applicability as well as the lack of undesirable features in the numerical solutions. Furthermore, the only limiting factor for applying DGM, its computational cost, will become less influential as computing power continues to increase, allowing us to apply the DGM to an increasing set of applications.

The discontinuous Galerkin method (DGM) is applied to a number of problems in computational electromagnetics. This is achieved by obtaining numerical solutions to Maxwell's equations using the DGM. The aim of these simulations is to highlight the strengths of the method while showing its resilience in handling problems other schemes may not be able to accurately model. Although no method will ever be the best choice for every problem in electromagnetics, the discontinuous Galerkin method is able to accurately approximate any problem, although the computational costs can make the scheme impractical for some. Like other time domain schemes, the DGM becomes inefficient on large domains where the solution contains small wavelengths. We demonstrate that all of the different types of boundary conditions in electromagnetic wave propagation can be implemented into the DGM. Reflection and transmission boundaries fit easily into the framework, whereas perfect absorption requires a more advanced technique known as the perfectly matched layer. We begin by simulating mirrors with several different geometries, and analyze how the DGM method performs, and how it offers a more complete evaluation of the behavior in this problem than some other methods. Since Maxwell's equations describe the macroscopic features of electromagnetics, our simulations are able to capture the wave features of electromagnetics, such as interference and diffraction. We demonstrate this by accurately modelling Young's double slit experiment, a classic experiment which features well understood interference and diffraction phenomena. We also extend the basic electromagnetic wave propagation simulations to include situations where the waves travel into new media. The formulation of the DGM for Maxwell's equations allows the numerical solutions to accurately resolve the features at the interface of two media as predicted by the Fresnel coefficients. This allows the DGM to model lenses and other sources of refraction. We predict that the DGM will become an increasingly valuable method for computational electromagnetics because of its wide range of applicability as well as the lack of undesirable features in the numerical solutions. Furthermore, the only limiting factor for applying DGM, its computational cost, will become less influential as computing power continues to increase, allowing us to apply the DGM to an increasing set of applications.

Shock capturing has been a challenge for computational fluid dynamicists over the years. This article deals with discontinuous Galerkin method to solve the hyperbolic equations in which solutions may develop discontinuities in finite time. The high order discontinuous Galerkin method combining the basis of finite volume and finite element methods has shown a lot of attractive features for a wide range of applications. Various techniques proposed in the literature to deal with discontinuities basically reduce the order of interpolation in the region around these discontinuities. The accuracy of the scheme therefore may be degraded in the vicinity of the shock. The proposed method resolves the discontinuities presented in the solution by applying viscosity into the shock-containing elements. The discontinuity is spread over a distance and is well approximated in the space of interpolation functions. The technique of adding viscosity to the system and the indicator based on the expansion coefficients of the solution are presented. A number of numerical examples in one and two dimensions is carried out to show the capability of the scheme for shock capturing. / Singapore-MIT Alliance (SMA)

Hyperbolic conservation laws form a special class of partial differential equations. They describe phenomena that involve conserved quantities and their solutions show discontinuities which reflect the formation of shock waves. We consider one-dimensional systems of hyperbolic conservation laws and produce approximations using finite difference, finite volume and finite element methods. Due to stability issues of classical finite element methods for hyperbolic conservation laws, we study the discontinuous Galerkin method, which was recently introduced. The method involves completely discontinuous basis functions across each element and it can be considered as a combination of finite volume and finite element methods. We illustrate the implementation of discontinuous Galerkin method using Legendre polynomials, in case of scalar equations and in case of quasi-linear systems, and we review important theoretical results about stability and convergence of the method. The applications of finite volume and discontinuous Galerkin methods to linear and non-linear scalar equations, as well as to the system of elastodynamics, are exhibited.

No description available.

Numerical investigations of collisional physics have historically been impeded by the issue of computational expense. While the continuum-kinetic Vlasov-Maxwell-Fokker-Planck system is well-established in theory and has been used as the basis for many approximate fluid equations, simulations utilizing the distribution function are relatively uncommon, due primarily to the high dimensionality of the problem. However, advances in numerical methods are steadily making these models more accessible. In this work, we utilize the Gkeyll framework, which applies a novel, highly efficient discontinuous Galerkin (DG) finite element method to the Vlasov-Maxwell-Fokker-Planck system. We first investigate the Rayleigh-Taylor (RT) instability in a neutral gas in regimes of finite collisionality which are inaccessible to the fluid codes that are traditionally applied to this instability. Utilizing a spatially constant, finite collision frequency, we demonstrate the ability of the Vlasov-Boltzmann model to approach the fluid result at high collision frequency while also accessing a regime of intermediate collisionality in which the RT instability deviates greatly from classic fluid behavior. We then extend upon this finding by choosing a collision frequency that varies spatially, resulting in new dynamics with asymmetric diffusion affecting the development of the RT instability. Having demonstrated the utility of collisional kinetic modeling even in the simple case of a neutral gas with a basic collision operator, we transition to development and implementation of a fully-conservative, recovery-based DG algorithm for the full nonlinear Rosenbluth/Fokker-Planck collision operator (FPO). Details of the novel recovery scheme for the cross-derivatives and conservation enforcement are presented, and we show that the scheme converges and exhibits stability criteria as expected. Finally, the FPO is applied to test cases that demonstrate the importance of accurate handling of the velocity-dependent collision frequency as compared to an approximate model. / Doctor of Philosophy / Under the right conditions, the electrons and ions that comprise the particles in a gas separate, or ionize, forming a plasma. Plasma is the most common state of matter in the universe, existing at a wide range of scales. Whether concerning a supernova, the solar wind, a plume of material ablated by a laser, or a nuclear fusion reactor, all of these plasmas are governed by the same set of rules, with the main differences being which length and time scales are relevant. Understanding the dynamics of these collections of ionized particles offers a unique challenge, as particles interact not only by colliding with one another but through longer-range electromagnetic interactions. A number of methods exist for modeling plasmas, and one must choose which of the many scales in the plasma are relevant in order to make the best choice of model. In this work, we apply the continuum-kinetic method, which captures the statistical effect of individual particle motions while avoiding the noise that arises when tracking individual particles directly. Kinetic methods are not applied nearly as often as fluid methods, primarily because of the computational expense involved in resolving the wide range of scales and accounting for quantities that evolve as a function of both position and velocity. However, recent advances in numerical methods have made continuum-kinetic methods much more accessible. This work utilizes the Gkeyll code framework, which applies a discontinuous Galerkin method, to simulate plasma with a continuum-kinetic model. We begin by considering the Rayleigh-Taylor (RT) instability, which occurs when a heavy fluid is balanced atop a lighter fluid and perturbed, resulting in fluid mixing. The RT instability is ubiquitous in nature and is commonly modeled with fluid methods that assume particle collide with one another with effectively infinite frequency. With the continuum-kinetic method, we demonstrate that situations arise where the collision frequency is finite but the RT instability still grows. In these regimes, the instability growth is no longer well-described by fluid methods, and a kinetic model must be applied to accurately predict its evolution. Following this, we introduce an algorithm that utilizes a novel discontinuous Galerkin (DG) method to model one of the most complex and accurate collision operators for plasmas: the Fokker-Planck operator (FPO). The FPO is notoriously difficult to implement numerically and computationally expensive due to its nonlinear nature, so simulations generally utilize approximate forms rather than the full operator. By applying this DG method, we are able to ensure the numerical FPO implementation maintains many of the desirable properties of the original model while running highly efficiently. We conclude by verifying that the code is stable and highly accurate while reproducing expected results and improvements over simplified collision models.

Near shore hydrodynamics has been an important research area dealing with coastal processes. The nearshore coastal region is the region between the shoreline and a fictive offshore limit which usually is defined as the limit where the depth becomes so large that it no longer influences the waves. This spatially limited but highly energetic zone is where water waves shoal, break and transmit energy to the shoreline and are governed by highly dispersive and non-linear effects. An accurate understanding of this phenomena is extremely useful, especially in emergency situations during hurricanes and storms. While the shallow water assumption is valid in regions where the characteristic wavelength exceeds a typical depth by orders of magnitude, Boussinesq-type equations have been used to model near-shore wave motion. Unfortunately these equations are complex system of coupled non-linear and dispersive differential equations that have made the developement of numerical approximations extremely challenging. In this dissertation, a local discontinuous Galerkin method for Boussinesq-Green Naghdi Equations is presented and validated against experimental results. Currently Green-Naghdi equations have many variants. We develop a numerical method in one horizontal dimension for the Green-Naghdi equations based on rotational characteristics in the velocity field. Stability criterion is also established for the linearized Green-Naghdi equations and a careful proof of linear stability of the numerical method is carried out. Verification is done against a linearized standing wave problem in flat bathymetry and h,p (denoted by K in this thesis) error rates are plotted. The numerical method is validated with experimental data from dispersive and non-linear test cases. / text