Project A4

Projectleader

Prof. Dr. Christiane Helzel
Institute for Numerical Mathematics
Ruhr-University Bochum

Title

Logically rectangular grid methods for the simulation of compressible MHD
equations in circular and spherical domains

Summary

The ideal magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) equations are important in modeling phenomena in a
wide range of applications, including solar physics, laboratory plasmas and astrophysical fluid
flow. Here we are concerned with the construction of numerical methods for these equations.
They have to master the challenge of producing approximations that remain accurate near shock
waves and that satisfy a divergence free constraint of the magnetic field.
This project focuses on the development of numerical methods for the MHD equations in cir-
cular and spherical domains which are of interest in solar physics, e.g. for the simulation of
coronal mass ejection (CME). We are constructing mapped grid methods which are based on
mappings of a single Cartesian grid to the sphere or other spherical domains. These mappings
have recently been introduced in the context of finite volume methods for hyperbolic problems
and are now being applied to the MHD equations.