Analysis of difference schemes for the Fokker-Planck angular diffusion operator

Abstract

This paper is dedicated to the mathematical analysis of finite difference schemes for the angular diffusion operator present in the azimuth-independent Fokker-Planck equation. The study elucidates the reasons behind the lack of convergence in half range mode for certain widely recognized discrete ordinates methods, and establishes sets of sufficient conditions to ensure that the schemes achieve convergence of order $2$. In the process, interesting properties regarding Gaussian nodes and weights, which until now have remained unnoticed by mathematicians, naturally emerge.