FBILI method for multi-level line transfer

Abstract

Efficient non-LTE multilevel radiative transfer calculations are needed for a proper interpretation of astrophysical spectra. In particular, realistic simulations of time-dependent processes or multi-dimensional phenomena require that the iterative method used to solve such non-linear and non-local problem is as fast as possible. There are several multilevel codes based on efficient iterative schemes that provide a very high convergence rate, especially when combined with mathematical acceleration techniques. The Forth-and-Back Implicit Lambda Iteration (FBILI) developed by Atanacković-Vukmanović et al. [1] is a Gauss-Seidel-type iterative scheme that is characterized by a very high convergence rate without the need of complementing it with additional acceleration techniques. In this paper we make the implementation of the FBILI method to the multilevel atom line transfer in 1D more explicit. We also consider some of its variants and investigate their convergence properties by solving the benchmark problem of CaII line formation in the solar atmosphere. Finally, we compare our solutions with results obtained with the well known code MULTI.