Error analysis of summation-by-parts formulations : Dispersion, transmission and accuracy

Abstract: In this thesis we consider errors arising from finite difference operators on summation-by-parts (SBP) form, used in the discretisation of partial differential equations. The SBP operators are augmented with simultaneous-approximation-terms (SATs) to weakly impose boundary conditions. The SBP-SAT framework combines high order of accuracy with a systematic construction of provably stable boundary procedures, which renders it suitable for a wide range of problems.The first part of the thesis treats wave propagation problems discretised using SBP operators on coarse grids. Unless special care is taken, inaccurate approximations of the underlying dispersion relation materialises in the form of an incorrect propagation speed. We present a procedure for constructing SBP operators with minimal dispersion error. Experiments indicate that they outperform higher order non-optimal SBP operators for flow problems involving high frequencies and long simulation times.In the second part of the thesis, the formal order of accuracy of SBP operators near boundaries is analysed. We prove that the order in the interior of a diagonal norm based SBP operator must be at least twice that of the boundary stencil, irrespective of the grid point distribution near the boundary. This generalises the classical theory posed on uniform and conforming grids. We further show that for a common class of SBP operators, the diagonal norm defines a quadrature rule of the same order as the interior stencil. Again, this result is independent of the grid.In the final contribution if the thesis, we introduce the notion of a transmission problem to describe a general class of problems where different dynamics are coupled in time. Well-posedness and stability analyses are performed for continuous and discrete problems. A general condition is obtained that is necessary and sufficient for the transmission problem to satisfy an energy estimate. The theory provides insights into the coupling of fluid flow models, multi-block formulations, numerical filters, interpolation and multi-grid implementations.