No Arabic abstract
A preceding paper demonstrated that explicit asymptotic methods generally work much better for extremely stiff reaction networks than has previously been shown in the literature. There we showed that for systems well removed from equilibrium explicit asymptotic methods can rival standard implicit codes in speed and accuracy for solving extremely stiff differential equations. In this paper we continue the investigation of systems well removed from equilibrium by examining quasi-steady-state (QSS) methods as an alternative to asymptotic methods. We show that for systems well removed from equilibrium, QSS methods also can compete with, or even exceed, standard implicit methods in speed, even for extremely stiff networks, and in many cases give somewhat better integration speed than for asymptotic methods. As for asymptotic methods, we will find that QSS methods give correct results, but with non-competitive integration speed as equilibrium is approached. Thus, we shall find that both asymptotic and QSS methods must be supplemented with partial equilibrium methods as equilibrium is approached to remain competitive with implicit methods.
We show that, even for extremely stiff systems, explicit integration may compete in both accuracy and speed with implicit methods if algebraic methods are used to stabilize the numerical integration. The required stabilizing algebra depends on whether the system is well-removed from equilibrium or near equilibrium. This paper introduces a quantitative distinction between these two regimes and addresses the former case in depth, presenting explicit asymptotic methods appropriate when the system is extremely stiff but only weakly equilibrated. A second paper examines quasi-steady-state methods as an alternative to asymptotic methods in systems well away from equilibrium and a third paper extends these methods to equilibrium conditions in extremely stiff systems using partial equilibrium methods. All three papers present systematic evidence for timesteps competitive with implicit methods. Because an explicit method can execute a timestep faster than an implicit method, algebraically-stabilized explicit algorithms might permit integration of larger networks than have been feasible before in various disciplines.
In two preceding papers we have shown that, when reaction networks are well-removed from equilibrium, explicit asymptotic and quasi-steady-state approximations can give algebraically-stabilized integration schemes that rival standard implicit methods in accuracy and speed for extremely stiff systems. However, we also showed that these explicit methods remain accurate but are no longer competitive in speed as the network approaches equilibrium. In this paper we analyze this failure and show that it is associated with the presence of fast equilibration timescales that neither asymptotic nor quasi-steady-state approximations are able to remove efficiently from the numerical integration. Based on this understanding, we develop a partial equilibrium method to deal effectively with the approach to equilibrium and show that explicit asymptotic methods, combined with the new partial equilibrium methods, give an integration scheme that plausibly can deal with the stiffest networks, even in the approach to equilibrium, with accuracy and speed competitive with that of implicit methods. Thus we demonstrate that such explicit methods may offer alternatives to implicit integration of even extremely stiff systems, and that these methods may permit integration of much larger networks than have been possible before in a number of fields.
In contrast to the prevailing view in the literature, it is shown that even extremely stiff sets of ordinary differential equations may be solved efficiently by explicit methods if limiting algebraic solutions are used to stabilize the numerical integration. The stabilizing algebra differs essentially for systems well-removed from equilibrium and those near equilibrium. Explicit asymptotic and quasi-steady-state methods that are appropriate when the system is only weakly equilibrated are examined first. These methods are then extended to the case of close approach to equilibrium through a new implementation of partial equilibrium approximations. Using stringent tests with astrophysical thermonuclear networks, evidence is provided that these methods can deal with the stiffest networks, even in the approach to equilibrium, with accuracy and integration timestepping comparable to that of implicit methods. Because explicit methods can execute a timestep faster and scale more favorably with network size than implicit algorithms, our results suggest that algebraically-stabilized explicit methods might enable integration of larger reaction networks coupled to fluid dynamics than has been feasible previously for a variety of disciplines.
We discuss the numerical solution methods available when solving for the steady-state density matrix of a time-independent open quantum optical system, where the system operators are expressed in a suitable basis representation as sparse matrices. In particular, we focus on the difficulties posed by the non-Hermitian structure of the Lindblad super operator, and the numerical techniques designed to mitigate these pitfalls. In addition, we introduce a doubly iterative inverse-power method that can give reduced memory and runtime requirements in situations where other iterative methods are limited due to poor bandwidth and profile reduction. The relevant methods are demonstrated on several prototypical quantum optical systems where it is found that iterative methods based on iLU factorization using reverse Cuthill-Mckee ordering tend to outperform other solution techniques in terms of both memory consumption and runtime as the size of the underlying Hilbert space increases. For eigenvalue solving, Krylov iterations using the stabilized bi-conjugate gradient method outperform generalized minimal residual methods. In contrast, minimal residual methods work best for solvers based on direct LU decomposition. This work serves as a guide for solving the steady-state density matrix of an arbitrary quantum optical system, and points to several avenues of future research that will extend the applicability of these classical algorithms in absence of a quantum computer.
A brief historical account of modern cosmology shows that the standard big bang (BB) model, believed by so many, does not have the strong observational foundations that are frequently claimed for it. The theory of the Quasi-Steady State Cosmology (QSSC) and explosive cosmogony is outlined. Comparisons are made between the two theories in explaining the observed properties of the universe, namely, the expansion, chemical composition, CMB, QSO redshifts and explosive events, galaxy formation, and the m-z and theta-z relations. Only two of the observed properties have ever been predicted from the theories (a) the expansion predicted from Einsteins theory by Friedmann and Lemaitre, and (b) the acceleration predicted by the classical steady state theory and the QSSC.