DG-IMEX Method for a Two-Moment Model for Radiation Transport in the 𝒪(v/c) Limit
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We consider particle systems described by moments of a phase-space density and propose a realizability-preserving numerical method to evolve a spectral two-moment model for particles interacting with a background fluid moving with nonrelativistic velocities. The system of nonlinear moment equations, with special relativistic corrections to 𝒪(v/c), expresses a balance between phase-space advection and collisions and includes velocity-dependent terms that account for spatial advection, Doppler shift, and angular aberration. This model is closely related to the one promoted by Lowrie et al. (2001; JQSRT, 69, 291-304) and similar to models currently used to study transport phenomena in large-scale simulations of astrophysical environments. The method is designed to preserve moment realizability, which guarantees that the moments correspond to a nonnegative phase-space density. The realizability-preserving scheme consists of the following key components: (i) a strong stability-preserving implicit-explicit (IMEX) time-integration method; (ii) a discontinuous Galerkin (DG) phase-space discretization with carefully constructed numerical fluxes; (iii) a realizability-preserving implicit collision update; and (iv) a realizability-enforcing limiter. In time integration, nonlinearity of the moment model necessitates solution of nonlinear equations, which we formulate as fixed-point problems and solve with tailored iterative solvers that preserve moment realizability with guaranteed convergence. We also analyze the simultaneous Eulerian-frame number and energy conservation properties of the semi-discrete DG scheme and propose an "energy limiter" that promotes Eulerian-frame energy conservation. Through numerical experiments, we demonstrate the accuracy and robustness of this DG-IMEX method and investigate its Eulerian-frame energy conservation properties.
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