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This work studies three multigrid variants for matrix-free finite-element computations on locally refined meshes: geometric local smoothing, geometric global coarsening (both h -multigrid), and polynomial global coarsening (a variant of p -multigrid). We have integrated the algorithms into the same framework—the open source finite-element library deal.II —, which allows us to make fair comparisons regarding their implementation complexity, computational efficiency, and parallel scalability as well as to compare the measurements with theoretically derived performance metrics. Serial simulations and parallel weak and strong scaling on up to 147,456 CPU cores on 3,072 compute nodes are presented. The results obtained indicate that global-coarsening algorithms show a better parallel behavior for comparable smoothers due to the better load balance, particularly on the expensive fine levels. In the serial case, the costs of applying hanging-node constraints might be significant, leading to advantages of local smoothing, even though the number of solver iterations needed is slightly higher. When using p - and h -multigrid in sequence ( hp -multigrid), the results indicate that it makes sense to decrease the degree of the elements first from a performance point of view due to the cheaper transfer. 

The traditional workflow in continuum mechanics simulations is that a geometry description —for example obtained using Constructive Solid Geometry (CSG) or Computer Aided Design (CAD) tools—forms the input for a mesh generator. The mesh is then used as the sole input for the finite element, finite volume, and finite difference solver, which at this point no longer has access to the original, “underlying” geometry. However, many modern techniques—for example, adaptive mesh refinement and the use of higher order geometry approximation methods—really do need information about the underlying geometry to realize their full potential. We have undertaken an exhaustive study of where typical finite element codes use geometry information, with the goal of determining what information geometry tools would have to provide. Our study shows that nearly all geometry-related needs inside the simulators can be satisfied by just two “primitives”: elementary queries posed by the simulation software to the geometry description. We then show that it is possible to provide these primitives in all of the frequently used ways in which geometries are described in common industrial workflows, and illustrate our solutions using a number of examples. 

We discuss the efficient implementation of a high-performance second-order collocation-type finite-element scheme for solving the compressible Euler equations of gas dynamics on unstructured meshes. The solver is based on the convex-limiting technique introduced by Guermond et al. (SIAM J. Sci. Comput. 40, A3211–A3239, 2018). As such, it is invariant-domain preserving ; i.e., the solver maintains important physical invariants and is guaranteed to be stable without the use of ad hoc tuning parameters. This stability comes at the expense of a significantly more involved algorithmic structure that renders conventional high-performance discretizations challenging. We develop an algorithmic design that allows SIMD vectorization of the compute kernel, identify the main ingredients for a good node-level performance, and report excellent weak and strong scaling of a hybrid thread/MPI parallelization. 

Abstract This paper provides an overview of the new features of the finite element library deal.II, version 9.4. 

Abstract This paper provides an overview of the new features of the finite element library deal.II , version 9.5. 

We present the design and implementation details of a geometric multigrid method on adaptively refined meshes for massively parallel computations. The method uses local smoothing on the refined part of the mesh. Partitioning is achieved by using a space filling curve for the leaf mesh and distributing ancestors in the hierarchy based on the leaves. We present a model of the efficiency of mesh hierarchy distribution and compare its predictions to runtime measurements. The algorithm is implemented as part of the deal.II finite-element library and as such available to the public. 

Abstract This paper provides an overview of the new features of the finite element library deal.II, version 9.3.