An adaptive pseudospectral method for discontinuous problems (Q1825618)

The author studies the accuracy of adaptively chosen, mapped polynomial approximations for functions with steep gradients or discontinuities. The original coordinate system is stretched and collocation points in the transformed coordinate system are used. This method is applied to approximate steep gradient solutions of hyperbolic partial differential equations. Discontinuous solutions associated with nonlinear hyperbolic equations can be accurately computed by an artificial viscosity and the smoothing out of the solution by the mapped polynomial approximation. Thus, shocks can be effectively approximated. Examples are given with Fourier and Chebyshev collocation points.