Process / pipelineFluid Dynamics
Level Set Method
The Level Set Method is an implicit interface tracking technique introduced by Osher and Sethian in 1988 for moving boundary problems and multiphase flows. Rather than explicitly tracking the interface, level sets represent it as the zero level set (contour) of a signed distance function φ. This approach elegantly handles topological changes, naturally computes interface curvature and normals, and integrates well with Eulerian solvers. Level sets have become essential for image processing, shape optimization, and interface-dominated fluid dynamics problems.
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Sources
- Osher, S., & Sethian, J. A. (1988). Fronts propagating with curvature-dependent speed: algorithms based on Hamilton-Jacobi formulations. Journal of Computational Physics, 79(1), 12-49. DOI: 10.1016/0021-9991(88)90002-2 ↗
- Sethian, J. A. (1996). Level Set Methods and Fast Marching Methods: Evolving Interfaces in Computational Geometry, Fluid Mechanics, Computer Vision, and Materials Science. Cambridge University Press. ISBN: 978-0521645577
- Sussman, M., Smereka, P., & Osher, S. (1994). A level set approach for computing solutions to incompressible two-phase flow. Journal of Computational Physics, 114(1), 146-159. DOI: 10.1006/jcph.1994.1155 ↗