Recursive regularised lattice Boltzmann method for magnetohydrodynamics

TL;DR

This paper introduces a recursive regularised lattice Boltzmann method tailored for incompressible magnetohydrodynamic flows, enhancing stability and accuracy by filtering non-physical contributions without explicit gradient calculations.

Contribution

The paper develops a novel recursive regularisation technique for lattice Boltzmann MHD simulations, improving stability and physical fidelity over existing methods.

Findings

Enhanced numerical stability at low viscosities.

Reduced lattice artefacts and improved isotropy.

Preserves the incompressible MHD limit.

Abstract

We present and test a recursive regularised lattice Boltzmann method for incompressible magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) flows. The approach is based on a double-distribution formulation, in which the magnetic field is evolved using a standard BGK lattice Boltzmann scheme, while the fluid solver is enhanced through a Hermite-based recursive regularisation of the non-equilibrium moments. The method exploits a fourth-order Hermite expansion of the equilibrium distribution on the D2Q9 lattice, allowing higher-order isotropy to be retained while selectively filtering spurious non-hydrodynamic contributions. The regularisation procedure reconstructs the non-equilibrium distribution from physically consistent Hermite coefficients, avoiding explicit evaluation of velocity gradients. The resulting scheme preserves the correct incompressible MHD limit, improves numerical stability at low viscosities, and reduces lattice-dependent artefacts. The proposed formulation provides a robust and versatile framework for MHD simulations and offers a systematic route for extending regularised lattice Boltzmann methods to coupled multiphysics systems.