A semi-Lagrangian finite difference WENO scheme for scalar nonlinear conservation laws

For a nonlinear scalar conservation law in one-space dimension, we develop a locally conservative semi-Lagrangian finite difference scheme based on weighted essentially non-oscillatory reconstructions (SL-WENO). This scheme has the advantages of both WENO and semi-Lagrangian schemes. It is a locally mass conservative finite difference scheme, it is formally high-order accurate in space, it has small time truncation error, and it is essentially nonoscillatory. The scheme is nearly free of a CFL time step stability restriction for linear problems, and it has a relaxed CFL condition for nonlinear problems. The scheme can be considered as an extension of the SL-WENO scheme of Qiu and Shu [J. Comput. Phys., 2011] developed for linear problems. The new scheme is based on a standard sliding average formulation with the flux function defined using WENO reconstructions of (semi-Lagrangian) characteristic tracings of grid points. To handle nonlinear problems, we use an approximate, locally frozen trace velocity and a flux correction step. A special two-stage WENO reconstruction procedure is developed that is biased to the upstream direction. A Strang splitting algorithm is used for higher-dimensional problems. Numerical results are provided to illustrate the performance of the scheme and verify its formal accuracy. Included are applications to the VlasovPoisson and guiding-center models of plasma flow.