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Driscoll, Tobin A.

Publications and source records attributed to Driscoll, Tobin A..

Numerical Conformal Mapping Using Cross-Ratios and Delaunay Triangulation

We propose a new algorithm for computing the Riemann mapping of the unit disk to a polygon, also known as the Schwarz-Christoffel transformation. The new algorithm, CRDT, is based on cross-ratios of the prevertices, and also on cross-ratios of quadrilaterals in a Delaunay triangulation of the polygon. The CRDT algorithm produces an accurate representation of the Riemann mapping even in the presence of arbitrary long, thin regions in the polygon, unlike any previous conformal mapping algorithm. We believe that CRDT can never fail to converge to the correct Riemann mapping, but the correctness and convergence proof depend on conjectures that we have so far not been able to prove. We demonstrate convergence with computational experiments. The Riemann mapping has applications to problems in two-dimensional potential theory and to finite-difference mesh generation. We use CRDT to produce a mapping and solve a boundary value problem on long, thin regions for which no other algorithm can solve these problems.

Driscoll, Tobin A.

A new direction in hydrodynamic stability: Beyond eigenvalues

Fluid flows that are smooth at low speeds become unstable and then turbulent at higher speeds. This phenomenon has traditionally been investigated by linearizing the equations of flow and looking for unstable eigenvalues of the linearized problem, but the results agree poorly in many cases with experiments. Nevertheless, it has become clear in recent years that linear effects play a central role in hydrodynamic instability. A reconciliation of these findings with the traditional analysis can be obtained by considering the 'pseudospectra' of the linearized problem, which reveals that small perturbations to the smooth flow in the form of streamwise vortices may be amplified by factors on the order of 10(exp 5) by a linear mechanism, even though all the eigenmodes are stable. The same principles apply also to other problems in the mathematical sciences that involve non-orthogonal eigenfunctions.

Trefethen, Lloyd N.