Robust Semi-implicit Multilevel SDC Methods for Conservation Laws

Abstract Semi-implicit multilevel spectral deferred correction (SI-MLSDC) methods provide a promising approach for high-order time integration for nonlinear evolution equations including conservation laws. However, existing methods lack robustness and often do not achieve the expected advantage over single-level SDC. This work adopts the novel SI time integrators from (Stiller, 2025) for enhanced stability and extends the single-level SI-SDC method with a multilevel approach to increase computational efficiency. The favourable properties of the resulting SI-MLSDC method are shown by linear temporal stability analysis for a convection-diffusion problem. The robustness and efficiency of the fully discrete method involving a high-order discontinuous Galerkin SEM discretization are demonstrated through numerical experiments for the convection–diffusion, Burgers, Euler and Navier–Stokes equations. The method is shown to yield substantial reductions in fine-grid iterations compared to single-level SI-SDC across a broad range of test cases. Finally, current limitations of the SI-MLSDC framework are identified and discussed, providing guidance for future improvements.