Finite difference method

Abstract: An adaptive finite difference method for first order nonlinear systems of ordinary differential equations subject to multipoint nonlinear boundary conditions is presented. The method is based on a discretization studied earlier by H. B. Keller. Variable order is provided through deferred corrections, while a built-in natural asymptotic estimator is used to automatically refine the mesh in order to achieve a required tolerance. Extensive numerical experimentation and a FORTRAN program

Abstract: We consider conjugate gradient type methods for the solution of large linear systemsA x=b with complex coefficient matrices of the typeA=T+i?I whereT is Hermitian and ? a real scalar. Three different conjugate gradient type approaches with iterates defined by a minimal residual property, a Galerkin type condition, and an Euclidean error minimization, respectively, are investigated. In particular, we propose numerically stable implementations based on the ideas behind Paige and Saunder's SYMMLQ and MINRES for real symmetric matrices and derive error bounds for all three methods. It is shown how the special shift structure ofA can be preserved by using polynomial preconditioning, and results on the optimal choice of the polynomial preconditioner are given. Also, we report on some numerical experiments for matrices arising from finite difference approximations to the complex Helmholtz equation.

Abstract: A finite-difference time-domain (FD-TD) formulation is described. It is shown that the finite-difference time-domain formulation is equivalent to the symmetrical condensed node model used in the transmission line matrix (TLM) method. The TLM method can be formulated exactly in a finite-difference form in terms of total field quantities. It is shown that, due to a better field resolution and fulfilment of continuity conditions, the FD-TD formulation or its TLM equivalent model give better convergence and accuracy than the traditional FD-TD method. This is illustrated by numerical results pertaining to a finned waveguide. >

Abstract: We develop a Fluctuating Immersed Boundary (FIB) method for performing Brownian dynamics simulations of confined particle suspensions. Unlike traditional methods which employ analytical Green's functions for Stokes flow in the confined geometry, the FIB method uses a fluctuating finite-volume Stokes solver to generate the action of the response functions “on the fly.” Importantly, we demonstrate that both the deterministic terms necessary to capture the hydrodynamic interactions among the suspended particles, as well as the stochastic terms necessary to generate the hydrodynamically correlated Brownian motion, can be generated by solving the steady Stokes equations numerically only once per time step. This is accomplished by including a stochastic contribution to the stress tensor in the fluid equations consistent with fluctuating hydrodynamics. We develop novel temporal integrators that account for the multiplicative nature of the noise in the equations of Brownian dynamics and the strong dependence of the mobility on the configuration for confined systems. Notably, we propose a random finite difference approach to approximating the stochastic drift proportional to the divergence of the configuration-dependent mobility matrix. Through comparisons with analytical and existing computational results, we numerically demonstrate the ability of the FIB method to accurately capture both the static (equilibrium) and dynamic properties of interacting particles in flow.