Numerical preservation of symmetry properties of continuum problems (Q1287138)

We study the problem of preserving cylindrical symmetry in two-dimensional Cartesian geometry and spherical symmetry in two-dimensional cylindrical geometry. We show that this can be achieved by a simple modification of the gradient operator used to compute the force in a staggered grid Lagrangian hydrodynamics algorithm. In the absence of the supposed symmetry, we show that the new operator produces almost no change in the results because it is always close to the original gradient operator. Our technique thus results in a subtle manipulation of the spatial truncation error in favor of the assumed symmetry, but only to the extent that it is naturally present in the physical situation. \(\copyright\) Academic Press.