A data parallel pseudo-spectral semi-implicit magnetohydrodynamics code

The set of eight nonlinear partial differential equations of magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) is used for time dependent simulations of three-dimensional (3D) fluid flow in a magnetic field. A data parallel code is presented, which integrates the MHD equations in cylindrical geometry, combining a semi-implicit time integration with a pseudo-spectral treatment of the poloidal and longitudinal directions. The semi-implicit method is devised to lift the severe CFL-condition imposed by the fastest waves. In the radial direction, we use centered finite differences on a staggered mesh. Together with the semi-implicit method, this leads to tridiagonal systems to be solved for each 2D Fourier mode.status: publishe