Second-order discretization in space and time for radiation hydrodynamics

We present a method for solving the equations of radiation hydrodynamics that is second-order accurate in space and time. This method combines the MUSCL-Hancock method for solving the Euler equations with the TR/BDF2 scheme in time for solving the equations of radiative transfer. We use an LDFEM to discretize the radiative transfer equations in space, which, though uncommon for radiation diffusion calculations, is a standard for radiation transport applications. We address the challenges inherent to using different spatial discretizations for the hydrodynamics and radiation and demonstrate how these may be overcome. We define our method for a 1-D model of compressible fluid dynamics coupled with grey radiation diffusion. Using the method of manufactured solutions, we show that the method is second-order accurate in space and time for both the equilibrium diffusion and streaming limit. (authors)