Daniel Kessler

Numerical Analysis and Simulation group
Department of Mathematics
Federal Polytechnical School
CH-1015 Lausanne, Switzerland

Office : DMA 643 Voice : +41 21 693 42 26 Fax : +41 21 693 43 03 E-mail : daniel.kessler@epfl.ch

Research activities

I graduated in 1997 here at E.P.F.L., with a diploma in theoretical physics done under the supervision of prof. Hervé Kunz . I joined prof. Jacques Rappaz 's numerical analysis research group in 1998. My current topics of interest are the phase-field modelisation of dendritic growth during solidification of binary alloys, as well as the numerical analysis and simulation of the resulting models. After doing a formal asymptotic analysis for such a model, I have established a priori error estimates for a numerical scheme with Jean-Francois Scheid, and am now implementing a C++ code for simulations. This project work should eventually lead me to a PhD thesis in mathematics.

Publications:

• D. Kessler, O.Krüger et J.F. Scheid. Construction d'un modèle de champ de phase à température homogène pour la solidification d'un alliage binaire . Internal Report, DMA-EPFL , 1998. [ps] [pdf]
• D. Kessler, O.Krüger, J.Rappaz and J.F. Scheid. A phase-field model for the isothermal solidification process of a binary alloy, proceedings of the PCC99 conference. Computer Assisted Mechanics and Engineering Sciences, 7: 279-288, 2000. [ps] [pdf]
• D. Kessler. Sharp interface limits of a thermodynamically consistent solutal phase field model. J. Crystal Growth 224: 175-186, 2001. [ps] [pdf]
• D. Kessler and J. F. Scheid. A priori error estimates of a finite element method for an isothermal phase-field model related to the solidification process of a binary alloy. Submitted to IMA J. Numer. Anal. [ps] [pdf]
• D. Kessler. Modelling, mathematical and numerical study of a solutal phase-field model. PhD. Thesis, DMA-EPFL, 2001. [ps] [pdf]

Presentations:

• A priori estimates for a parabolic system describing the solidification process of a binary alloy, at the Journée Suisse d'Analyse Numérique. Fribourg, October 12, 1999.
• Modelling and numerical analysis of a parabolic system describing a binary alloy solidification process, at the IMACS 16th World Congress. E.P.F.L., Lausanne, August 24, 2000. [ps] [pdf]
• Modelling and numerical analysis of a solutal phase-field model, at the 7th Workshop on Numerical Methods for Free Boundary Problems Interphase 2000. Berlin, October 5 2000.
• Isothermal solutal phase-field, seminar at the University of Pavia, April 26, 2001.

Teaching activities

I am in charge of the exercices for the Numerical Analysis course for mathematicians. In the past, I have also contributed to the exercices for the Numerical Analysis course for engineers.

Other activities on the Campus

Last change: September 24, 2001.