Error estimation and adaptivity for differential equations with multiple scales in time

TL;DR

This paper develops an a posteriori error estimator for multiscale ODE systems with multiple time scales, enabling adaptive simulation control and efficient long-term integration.

Contribution

It generalizes a multiscale approach and introduces a dual weighted residual-based error estimator for better adaptive error control.

Findings

The error estimator accurately predicts different error components.

Adaptive scheme effectively controls errors and improves efficiency.

Demonstrated significant speedups in multiscale simulations.

Abstract

We consider systems of ordinary differential equations with multiple scales in time. In general, we are interested in the long time horizon of a slow variable that is coupled to solution components that act on a fast scale. Although the fast scale variables are essential for the dynamics of the coupled problem, they are often of no interest in themselves. Recently we have proposed a temporal multiscale approach that fits into the framework of the heterogeneous multiscale method and that allows for efficient simulations with significant speedups. Fast and slow scales are decoupled by introducing local averages and by replacing fast scale contributions by localized periodic-in-time problems. Here, we generalize this multiscale approach to a larger class of problems but in particular, we derive an a posteriori error estimator based on the dual weighted residual method that allows for a splitting of the error into averaging error, error on the slow scale and error on the fast scale. We demonstrate the accuracy of the error estimator and also its use for adaptive control of a numerical multiscale scheme.