Bibcode
DOI
Crivellari, L.; Simonneau, E.
Bibliographical reference
Astrophysical Journal v.451, p.328
Advertised on:
9
1995
Citations
1
Refereed citations
0
Description
We have recently introduced a new algorithm, the implicit integral
method (IIM), for solving radiative transfer problems in which the
specific source functions (for each frequency and direction) depend
linearly on the radiation field via a single quantity which is
independent of both frequency and direction. We define this kind of
relationship as scalar coupling. The fact that our method turned out to
be fast, robust, and highly reliable leads us to seek its extension to
include those problems where the above, necessary condition is not
fulfilled. In these problems, the specific source functions depend on
the radiation field through a nonfactorable redistribution operator. In
our definition, these are cases of vectorial coupling.
In this paper we present the successful application of the IIM, through
an iterative procedure, to two specific instances of vectorial coupling.
The first is the determination of the temperature distribution,
self-consistent with the energy conservation constraint, within a LTE
stellar atmosphere model. Here the physical processes other than
radiative transfer require an iterative procedure for the global
solution of the problem. Thus we take advantage of this circumstance to
solve iteratively the radiative transfer part as well.
The second is the case of the non-LTE two-level-atom line formation
problem in which partial redistribution is taken into account in the
presence of a background continuum. This problem allows a direct
solution, but at the cost of using algorithms that necessarily require
the storage and inversion of very high order matrices. On the contrary,
we show that a solution based on the iterative application of the IIM,
thanks to the outstanding features of the latter, is not only fast, but
above all much more reliable in numerical terms.