The influence of parasitic modes on stable lattice Boltzmann schemes and weakly unstable multi-step Finite Difference schemes

Numerical analysis for linear constant-coefficient multi-step Finite Difference schemes is a longstanding topic, developed approximately fifty years ago. It relies on the stability of the scheme, and thus—within the $L^2$ setting—on the absence of multiple roots of the amplification polynomial on the unit circle. This allows for the decoupling, while discussing the convergence of the method, of the study of the consistency of the scheme from the precise knowledge of its parasitic/spurious modes, so that the methods can be essentially studied as if they had only one step. Furthermore, stability alleviates the need to delve into the complexities of floating-point arithmetic on computers, which can be challenging topics to address. In this paper, we demonstrate that in the case of “weakly” unstable Finite Difference schemes with multiple roots on the unit circle, although the schemes may remain stable, considering parasitic modes is essential in studying their consistency and, consequently, their convergence. This research was prompted by unexpected numerical results on stable lattice Boltzmann schemes, which can be rewritten in terms of multi-step Finite Difference schemes. Unlike Finite Difference schemes, rigorous numerical analysis for lattice Boltzmann schemes is a contemporary topic with much left for future discoveries. Initial expectations suggested that third-order initialization schemes would suffice to maintain the accuracy of fourth-order schemes. However, this assumption proved incorrect for weakly unstable Finite Difference schemes and for stable lattice Boltzmann methods. This borderline scenario underscores that particular care must be adopted for lattice Boltzmann schemes, and the significance of genuine stability in facilitating the construction of Lax-Richtmyer-like theorems and in mastering the impact of round-off errors concerning Finite Difference schemes. Despite the simplicity and apparent lack of practical usage of the linear transport equation at constant velocity considered throughout the paper, we demonstrate that high-order lattice Boltzmann schemes for this equation can be used to tackle nonlinear systems of conservation laws relying on a Jin-Xin approximation and high-order splitting formulæ.