Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-m6dg7 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-10T19:31:16.719Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Chebyshev Spectral Methods and the Lane-Emden Problem

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 May 2015

John P. Boyd*
Affiliation:
Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic and Space Science, University of Michigan, 2455 Hayward Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2143, USA
*
*Corresponding author.Email address:jpboyd@umich.edu
Get access

Abstract

The three-dimensional spherical polytropic Lane-Emden problem is yrr + (2/r)yr + ym = 0, y(0) = 1, yr(0) = 0 where m ϵ [0,5] is a constant parameter. The domain is r ϵ [0, ξ] where ξ is the first root of y(r). We recast this as a nonlinear eigenproblem, with three boundary conditions and ξ as the eigenvalue allowing imposition of the extra boundary condition, by making the change of coordinate xr/ξ: yxx + (2/x)yx + ξ2ym = 0, y(0) = 1, yx(0) = 0, y(1) = 0. We find that a Newton-Kantorovich iteration always converges from an m-independent starting point y(0)(x) = cos([π/2]x), ξ(0) = 3. We apply a Chebyshev pseudospectral method to discretize x. The Lane-Emden equation has branch point singularities at the endpoint x = 1 whenever m is not an integer; we show that the Chebyshev coefficients are an ~ constant/n2m+5 as n → ∞. However, a Chebyshev truncation of N = 100 always gives at least ten decimal places of accuracy — much more accuracy when m is an integer. The numerical algorithm is so simple that the complete code (in Maple) is given as a one page table.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © Global Science Press Limited 2011

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

[1]Baszenski, G. and Delvos, F., Error-estimates for sine series expansions, Math. Nach., 139 (1988), pp. 155166.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
[2]Bender, C. M., Milton, K. A., Pinsky, S. S., and Simmons, L. M. Jr., A new perturbative approach to nonlinear problems, J. Math. Phys., 30 (1989), pp. 14471455.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
[3]Boyd, J. P., A Chebyshev polynomial method for computing analytic solutions to eigenvalue problems with application to the anharmonic oscillator, J. Math. Phys., 19 (1978), pp. 14451456.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
[4]Boyd, J. P., Chebyshev and Fourier Spectral Methods, Dover, Mineola, New York, 2d ed., 2001. 665 pp. Heavily revised and updated second edition of Boyd(1989).Google Scholar
[5]Boyd, J. P., Computing the zeros, maxima and inflection points of Chebyshev, Legendre and Fourier series: Solving transcendental equations by spectral interpolation and polynomial rootfinding, J. Eng. Math., 56 (2006), pp. 203219. Errata: (-1)ah1laN in the last line of (2) should be (-1)aj-1(2aN).CrossRefGoogle Scholar
[6]Chandrasekhar, S., The Lane-Emden function θ3.25, Astrophysical Journal, 89 (1939), pp. 116118.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
[7]Chandrasekhar, S., An Introduction to the Study of Stellar Structure, Dover, New York, 1967.Google Scholar
[8]Davis, H. T., Introduction to Nonlinear Differential and Integral Equations, Dover, Mineola, New York, 1962.Google Scholar
[9]He, J.-H., Variational approach to the Lane-Emden equation, Appl. Math. Comput., 143 (2003), pp. 539541.Google Scholar
[10]Horedt, G.P, 7-digit tables of Lane-Emden functions, Astrophys. Space Sci., 126 (1986), pp. 357408.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
[11]Hunter, C., Series solutions for p oly trop es and the isothermal sphere, Month. Notic. R. Astro. Soc, 328 (2001), pp. 839847.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
[12]Liao, S., A new analytic algorithm of Lane-Emden type equations, Appl. Math. Comput., 142 (2003), pp. 116.Google Scholar
[13]Liu, F. K., Polytropic gas spheres: An approximate analytic solution of the Lane-Emden equation, Month. Notic. R. Astro. Soc, 281 (1996), pp. 11971205.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
[14] Y Luke, L., The Special Functions and Their Approximations, vol. I & II, Academic Press, New York, 1969.Google Scholar
[15], Mathematical Functions and Their Approximations, Academic Press, New York, 1975. 566 pp.Google Scholar
[16]Mandelzweig, >V. B. and Tabakin, F., Quasilinearization approach to nonlinear problems in physics with application to nonlinear ODEs, Comput. Phys. Commun., 141 (2001), pp. 268281.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
[17]Marzban, H. R., Tabrizidooz, H. R., and Razzaghi, M., Hybrid functions for nonlinear initial-value problems with applications to Lane-Emden type equations, Phys. Lett. A, 372 (2008), pp. 58835886.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
[18]Mohan, C. and Al-Bayaty, A. R., Power-series solutions of the Lane-Emden equation, Astrophys. Space Sci., 73 (1980), pp. 227239.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
[19]Németh, G., Mathematical Approximation of Special Functions: Ten Papers on Chebyshev Expansions, Nova Science Publishers, New York, 1992. 200 pp.Google Scholar
[20]Nouh, M. I., Accelerated power series solution of polytropic and isothermal gas sphe, New Astron., 9 (2004), pp. 467473.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
[21]Parand, K., Shahini, M., and Dehgahn, M., Rational Legendre pseudospectral approach for solving nonlinear differential equations of Lane-Emden type, J. Comput. Phys., 228 (2009), pp. 88308840.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
[22]Pascual, P., Lane-Emden equation and Padé approximants, Astron. Astrophys., 60 (1977), pp. 161163.Google Scholar
[23]Ramos, J. I., Series approach to the lane-emden equation and comparison with the homotopy perturbation method, Chaos, Solitons & Fractals, 38 (2008), pp. 400408.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
[24]Roxburgh, I. W. and Stockman, L. M., Power series solutions of the polytrope equations, Mon. Not. R. Astron. Soc., 4303 (1999), pp. 466470.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
[25]Sadler, D. H. and Miller, J. C. P., Tables of the Lane-Emden function, in Mathematical Tables, Vol. 2, Office of the British Association, London, 1932.Google Scholar
[26]Shawagfeh, N. T., Nonperturbative approximate solution for Lane-Emden equation, J. Math. Phys., 34 (1993), pp. 38674372.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
[27]Sheorey, V. B., Double Chebyshev expansions for wave functions, Comput. Phys. Commun., 12 (1976), pp. 125134.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
[28]Yildirim, A. and Öziş, T., Solutions of singular IVPs of Lane-Emden type by the variational iteration method, Nonlinear Analysis, 70 (2009), pp. 24802484.CrossRefGoogle Scholar