Speaker
Description
The finite element method (FEM) concerns the numerical discretization of continuum partial differential equations. This talk briefly covers some applications of FEM to problems in plasma physics, including strongly orthotropic transport and plasma turbulence. We will emphasize the potential advantages of FEM in terms of numerical properties – stability, rapid convergence, and the suppression of numerical diffusivity (even without a fieldline-following computational geometry) – and geometrical fidelity – higher-order geometries, including faithful representations of curved surfaces. Finally, we will discuss how certain types of discrete representation, known as compatible - or mimetic- discretizations, preserve features of the continuum model.