LEVEL SET METHODS FOR FLUID INTERFACES

We provide an overview of level set methods, introduced by Osher and Sethian, for computing the solution to fluid-interface problems. These are computational techniques that rely on an implicit formulation of the interface, represented through a time-dependent initial-value partial-differential equation. We discuss the essential ideas behind the techniques, the coupling of these techniques to finite-difference methods for incompressible and compressible flow, and a collection of applications including two-phase flow, ship hydrodynamics, and ink-jet-printhead design.