Sparse entropic quadrature for moment equations

Abstract: In the present work, we study the properties of the sparse entropic quadrature method, a recently proposed method for the closure of systems of moment equations in rarefied gas dynamics. We prove the properties of the method regarding its well-posedness, hyperbolicity, and stability for first-order spatial convection schemes. We apply the method to two model rarefied gas dynamics problems and compare the results with those given by a discrete velocity method and show that it is capable of reproducing rarefied gas effects whilst having significantly fewer degrees of freedom than the discrete velocity method.