A simple compact fourth-order Poisson solver on polar geometry

Abstract

We present a simple and efficient compact fourth-order Poisson solver in polar coordinates. This solver relies on the truncated Fourier series expansion, where the differential equations of the Fourier coefficients are solved by the compact fourth-order finite difference scheme. By shifting a grid a half mesh away from the origin and incorporating the symmetry constraint of Fourier coefficients, we can easily handle coordinate singularities without pole conditions. The numerical evidence confirms fourth-order accuracy for the problem on an annulus and third-order accuracy for the problem on a disk. In addition, a simple and comparably accurate approximation for the derivatives of the solution is also presented. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science (USA).