An Entropy Stable Discontinuous Galerkin Finite-Element Moment Method for the Boltzmann Equation

Abstract: This paper presents a numerical approximation technique for the Boltzmann equation based on a moment system approximation in velocity dependence and a discontinuous Galerkin finite-element approximation in position dependence. The closure relation for the moment systems derives from minimization of a suitable {\phi}-divergence. This divergence-based closure yields a hierarchy of tractable symmetric hyperbolic moment systems that retain the fundamental structural properties of the Boltzmann equation. The resulting combined discontinuous Galerkin moment method corresponds to a Galerkin approximation of the Boltzmann equation in renormalized form. We present a new class of numerical flux functions, based on the underlying renormalized Boltzmann equation, that ensure entropy dissipation of the approximation scheme. Numerical results are presented for a one-dimensional test case.