Spectral methods for the wave equation in second-order form

Current spectral simulations of Einstein’s equations require writing the equations in first-order form, potentially introducing instabilities and inefficiencies. We present a new penalty method for pseudospectral evolutions of second order in space wave equations. The penalties are constructed as functions of Legendre polynomials and are added to the equations of motion everywhere, not only on the boundaries. Using energy methods, we prove semidiscrete stability of the new method for the scalar wave equation in flat space and show how it can be applied to the scalar wave on a curved background. Numerical results demonstrating stability and convergence for multidomain second-order scalar wave evolutions are also presented. This work provides a foundation for treating Einstein’s equations directly in second-order form by spectral methods.