The Distributional Finite Difference Method: An Efficient Approach for High-resolution Global Wavefield Simulations
Description:
As seismologists seek increasingly higher spatial resolution to investigate small-scale objects in Earth’s mantle, traditional numerical methods face significant bottlenecks. The complexity of meshing, wavefield accuracy requirements, and escalating computational costs at high frequencies necessitate a new generation of wave propagation codes. Specifically, there is a demand for flexible methodologies that can handle variable resolution across 3D models and maintain accuracy at fluid-solid boundaries while remaining computationally competitive with established tools like the Spectral Element Method (SEM).
In this study, we evaluate the Distributional Finite Difference (DFD) method as a promising approach for global seismology. DFD combines the structural simplicity of pseudo-spectral and finite-difference methods with the rigorous boundary condition treatment characteristic of spectral element techniques. DFD accounts for material discontinuities and non-conformal interfaces via an element-wise domain decomposition. A key advantage of this approach is that numerical accuracy is independent of element size. Consequently, elements can be very large in smooth regions of a model and refined only where required by the geometry. We are developing a portable, high-performance C++ implementation of the DFD solver designed to leverage the power of different modern high-performance computing (HPC) systems.
Preliminary benchmarks in the framework of acoustic 2D simulations indicate that DFD is computationally faster than SpecFEM2D in AK135 earth model for equivalent levels of accuracy. When optimized for parallel architectures and integrated with hybrid modeling approaches, DFD represents a powerful tool for imaging remote targets in the deep mantle.
Session: New Frontiers in Seismic Observations and Modeling with Innovative Methods and Emerging Data on Earth and Other Planets - III
Type: Oral
Date: 4/17/2026
Presentation Time: 04:30 PM (local time)
Presenting Author: Yuan Tian
Student Presenter: No
Invited Presentation:
Poster Number:
Authors
Yuan Tian Presenting Author Corresponding Author yuan-tian@berkeley.edu University of California, Berkeley |
Muaaz Awan mgawan@lbl.gov Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory |
Dorian Soergel soergeldorian@gmail.com Fleet Space Technologies |
Wenbo Wu wenbo.wu@berkeley.edu University of California, Berkeley |
Barbara Romanowicz barbarar@berkeley.edu University of California, Berkeley |
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The Distributional Finite Difference Method: An Efficient Approach for High-resolution Global Wavefield Simulations
Category
New Frontiers in Seismic Observations and Modeling with Innovative Methods and Emerging Data on Earth and Other Planets