High order accuracy WENO methods for high dimensional problems on sparse grids

高精度数值方法特别适用于求解包含复杂解结构的计算流体力学和计算生物学中的数学模型。当网格点数较大或问题的空间维度较高时，由于“维度灾难”的存在，计算量会显著增加。如何用高精度方法实现快速计算是一个非常重要的问题，尤其是对于长时间的模拟。该研究项目旨在发展高效的高精度稀疏网格数值方法来解决高维空间问题。这些新方法有可能在量子电子系统、分子马达、金融、生物细胞集体运动、基因调控网络等领域得到更广泛的应用。PI将设计、分析和实现新颖的高阶Krylov积分因子(IF)加权基本无振荡(WENO)算法，通过使用稀疏网格组合技术来求解稀疏网格上的双曲型或对流扩散偏微分方程(PDE)问题。稀疏网格法是求解高维问题的一种强有力的逼近工具。它已经成功地应用于许多科学和工程应用中。稀疏网格上的离散化所涉及的自由度比单一网格上的少得多。对这些高维系统的有效数值模拟将有助于研究这一领域中有趣的生物学问题。拟议的研究将有助于积极应对“维度诅咒”。将开发一套求解高维非线性偏微分方程组的强大计算工具。这些技术有望为生物和物理系统中复杂现象的计算机模拟做出积极贡献。拟议的活动还将为对数学、计算和应用界面研究感兴趣的研究生和本科生提供极好的培训和教育机会。

High order accuracy numerical methods are especially efficient for solving mathematical models in computational fluid dynamics and computational biology which contain complex solution structures. The computational cost increases significantly when the number of grid points is large or the spatial dimension of the problem is high, due to the "curse of dimensionality". How to achieve fast computations by high order accuracy methods is a very important question especially for long-time simulations. This research project aims to develop efficient high order accuracy numerical methods on sparse grids for high spatial dimensional problems. The new methods have the potential to be applied to a broader class of applications in quantum electronic systems, molecular motors, finance, collective cell motions in biology, gene regulatory network, etc. The PI will design, analyze and implement novel high order Krylov integration factor (IF) weighted essentially nonoscillatory (WENO) algorithms for solving hyperbolic or convection-diffusion partial differential equation (PDE) problems on sparse grids by using the sparse-grid combination technique to deal with the high dimensional challenge. The sparse-grid method is a powerful approximation tool for high dimensional problems. It has been successfully used in many scientific and engineering applications. Discretizations on sparse grids involve much fewer degrees of freedom than that on single grids. Efficient numerical simulations of these high dimensional systems will help in studying interesting biological questions in this area. The proposed research will contribute in the active area of dealing with the "curse of dimensionality". A suite of powerful computational tools for solving high dimensional nonlinear PDEs will be developed. These techniques are expected to make positive contributions to computer simulations of complicated phenomena in biological and physical systems. The proposed activity will also provide excellent training and education opportunities for both graduate and undergraduate students interested in research at the interface of mathematics, computation, and applications.