Efficient and accurate numerical methods for the Klein–Gordon–Schrödinger equations

Abstract

In this paper, we present efficient, unconditionally stable and accurate numerical methods for approximations of the Klein–Gordon–Schrödinger (KGS) equations with/without damping terms. The key features of our methods are based on: (i) the application of a time-splitting spectral discretization for a Schrödinger-type equation in KGS, (ii) the utilization of Fourier pseudospectral discretization for spatial derivatives in the Klein–Gordon equation in KGS, (iii) the adoption of solving the ordinary differential equations (ODEs) in phase space analytically under appropriate chosen transmission conditions between different time intervals or applying Crank–Nicolson/leap-frog for linear/nonlinear terms for time derivatives. The numerical methods are either explicit or implicit but can be solved explicitly, unconditionally stable, and of spectral accuracy in space and second-order accuracy in time. Moreover, they are time reversible and time transverse invariant when there is no damping terms in KGS, conserve (or keep the same decay rate of) the wave energy as that in KGS without (or with a linear) damping term, keep the same dynamics of the mean value of the meson field, and give exact results for the plane-wave solution. Extensive numerical tests are presented to confirm the above properties of our numerical methods for KGS. Finally, the methods are applied to study solitary-wave collisions in one dimension (1D), as well as dynamics of a 2D problem in KGS.