Amit Acharya's blog

Uditnarayan Kouskiya          Robert L. Pego        Amit Acharya

We look for traveling waves of the semi-discrete conservation law $4 \dot{u}_j + u_{j+1}^2 - u_{j-1}^2 = 0$, using variational principles related to concepts of ``hidden convexity'' appearing in recent studies of various PDE (partial differential equations). We analyze and numerically compute with two variational formulations related to dual convex optimization problems constrained by either the differential-difference equation (DDE) or nonlinear integral equation (NIE) that wave profiles should satisfy. We prove existence theorems conditional on the existence of extrema that satisfy a strict convexity criterion, and numerically exhibit a variety of localized, periodic and non-periodic wave phenomena.

Amit Acharya        Janusz Ginster

A scheme for generating a family of convex variational principles is developed, the Euler-Lagrange equations of each member of the family formally corresponding to the necessary conditions of optimal control of a given system of ordinary differential equations (ODE) in a well-defined sense. The scheme is applied to the Quadratic-Quadratic Regulator problem for which an explicit form of the functional is derived, and existence of minimizers of the variational principle is rigorously shown. It is shown that the Linear-Quadratic Regulator problem with time-dependent forcing can be solved within the formalism without requiring any nonlinear considerations, in contrast to the use of a Riccati system in the classical methodology.

Our work demonstrates a pathway for solving nonlinear control problems via convex optimization.

Dissipative models for the quasi-static and dynamic response due to slip in an elastic body containing a single slip plane of vanishing thickness are developed. Discrete dislocations with continuously distributed cores can glide on this plane, and the models are developed as special cases of a fully three-dimensional theory of plasticity induced by dislocation motion. The reduced models are compared and contrasted with the augmented Peierls model of dislocation dynamics. A primary distinguishing feature of the reduced models is the a-priori accounting of space-time conservation of Burgers vector during dislocation evolution. A physical shortcoming of the developed models as well as the Peierls model with regard to a dependence on the choice of a distinguished, coherent reference configuration is discussed, and a testable model without such dependence is also proposed.

A scheme for treating the Second Law of thermodynamics as a constraint and accounting for the approximate nature of constitutive assumptions in continuum thermomechanics is discussed. An unconstrained, concave, variational principle is designed for solving the resulting mathematical problem. Cases when the Second Law becomes an over-constraint on the mechanical model, as well as when it serves as a necessary constraint, are discussed.

Variational formulation based on duality to solve partial differential equations: Use of B-splines and machine learning approximants

N. Sukumar              Amit Acharya

Many partial differential equations (PDEs) such as Navier–Stokes equations in fluid mechanics, inelastic deformation in solids, and transient parabolic and hyperbolic equations do not have an exact, primal variational structure. Recently, a variational principle based on the dual (Lagrange multiplier) field was proposed. The essential idea in this approach is to treat the given PDE as constraints, and to invoke an arbitrarily chosen auxiliary potential with strong convexity properties to be optimized. This leads to requiring a convex dual functional to be minimized subject to Dirichlet boundary conditions on dual variables, with the guarantee that even PDEs that do not possess a variational structure in primal form can be solved via a variational principle. The vanishing of the first variation of the dual functional is, up to Dirichlet boundary conditions on dual fields, the weak form of the primal PDE problem with the dual-to-primal change of variables incorporated. We derive the dual weak form for the linear, one-dimensional, transient convection diffusion equation. A Galerkin discretization is used to obtain the discrete equations, with the trial and test functions chosen as linear combination of either RePU activation functions (shallow neural network) or B-spline basis functions; the corresponding stiffness matrix is symmetric. For transient problems, a space-time Galerkin implementation is used with tensor-product B-splines as approximating functions. Numerical results are presented for the steady-state and transient convection-diffusion equation, and transient heat conduction. The proposed method delivers sound accuracy for ODEs and PDEs and rates of convergence are established in the L2 norm and H1 seminorm for the steady-state convection-diffusion problem.

Equations not arising from a variational principle, as well as ones that arise from functionals that are not bounded above or below, can be endowed with one with favorable properties. The concept, and some examples are listed below:

Gabriel Dante Lima-Chavez,        Amit Acharya,          Manas V. Upadhyay

A geometrically nonlinear theory for field dislocation thermomechanics based entirely on measurable state variables is proposed. Instead of starting from an ordering-dependent multiplicative decomposition of the total deformation gradient tensor, the additive decomposition of the velocity gradient into elastic, plastic and thermal distortion rates is obtained as a natural consequence of the conservation of the Burgers vector. Based on this equation, the theory consistently captures the contribution of transient heterogeneous temperature fields on the evolution of the (polar) dislocation density. The governing equations of the model are obtained from the conservation of Burgers vector, mass, linear and angular momenta, and the First Law. The Second Law is used to deduce the thermodynamical driving forces for dislocation velocity. An evolution equation for temperature is obtained from the First Law and the Helmholtz free energy density, which is taken as a function of the following measurable quantities: elastic distortion, temperature and the dislocation density (the theory allows prescribing additional measurable quantities as internal state variables if needed). Furthermore, the theory allows one to compute the Taylor-Quinney factor, which is material and strain rate dependent. Accounting for the polar dislocation density as a state variable in the Helmholtz free energy of the system allows for temperature solutions in the form of dispersive waves with finite propagation speed, despite using Fourier’s law of heat conduction as the constitutive assumption for the heat flux vector.

Fluid Mechanics:

Variational dual solutions for incompressible fluids

Amit Acharya, Bianca Stroffolini, Arghir Zarnescu

Nonlinear Elasticity:

A hidden convexity of nonlinear elasticity

Siddharth Singh, Janusz Ginster, Amit Acharya