Linear Bicharacteristic Schemes Without Dissipation

This paper is concerned with developing methods for the propagation of linear waves in several space dimensions. The methods are time-reversible, and hence free from numerical dissipation. They are based on bicharacteristic forms of the governing equations, and are made possible by adopting forms of staggered storage that depend on the precise equations under consideration. Analysis is presented for the equations of acoustics, electromagnetics, and elastodynamics. *This research was partially supported by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration under NASA Contract No. NAS1-19480 while the author was in residence at the Institute for Computer Applications in Science and Engineering (ICASE), NASA Langley Research Center, Hampton, VA, 2368t-0001.