[CIG-MC] A new mantle convection code: ASPECT

[Wolfgang Bangerth]

All,
before we all take off for AGU, I'd like to let everyone know about a new 
mantle convection code we've been building with CIG support. We call it  
ASPECT (short for Advanced Solver for Problems in Earth's ConvecTion) and it 
is based on the following principles:

- Compressible or incompressible, linear or nonlinear material laws
- Arbitrary geometries, including cartesian and spherical
- Modular and easily extendible code
- Adaptive mesh refinement
- Efficient linear and nonlinear solvers
- Highly scalable to hundreds or thousands of processors
- Accurate discretizations: Inherently stable Stokes discretization,
   modern stabilization techniques for the temperature equation

We would have loved to finish this code before AGU but didn't quite get there. 
Nevertheless, this is what's there already:
- Code works for compressible/incompressible materials
- High accuracy and scalability verified through benchmarks
- Still needed:
   . webpage
   . setting up automated tests
   . final verification

We think that we'll have the first release in January 2012. For now, this is 
what's there if anyone would like to take a look already:
- A 3/4 finished manual:
      http://www.dealii.org/svn/aspect/trunk/aspect/doc/manual.pdf
- The source code can be downloaded via subversion from here:
     http://www.dealii.org/svn/aspect/trunk/aspect

Most of us who have worked with ASPECT will be at  AGU (and the CIG business 
meeting on Tuesday evening). I will also be staffing the CIG booth [1] on 
Tuesday and Thursday 2:30-4pm if anyone would like to drop by to chat or get a 
demo.

Best
  Wolfgang Bangerth (and the other developers of ASPECT)

[1] CIG's booth is #1127 on NSF street.


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Wolfgang Bangerth                email:            bangerth at math.tamu.edu
                                 www: http://www.math.tamu.edu/~bangerth/