Adjoint-based sensitivity analysis for high-energy density radiative transfer using flux-limited diffusion

Uncertainty quantification and sensitivity analyses are a vital component for predictive modeling in the sciences and engineering. The adjoint approach to sensitivity analysis requires solving a primary system of equations and a mathematically related set of adjoint equations. The information contained in the equations can be combined to produce sensitivity information in a computationally efficient manner. In this work, sensitivity analyses are performed on systems described by flux-limited radiative diffusion using the adjoint approach. The sensitivities computed are shown to agree with standard perturbation theory and require significantly less computational time. The adjoint approach saves the computational cost of one forward solve per sensitivity, making the method attractive when multiple sensitivities are of interest.