Numerical simulation of the global distribution of electric potential over the Earth's ionosphere (Q1975086)

The electric potential distribution is described in terms of a boundary value problem for an elliptic system of partial differential equations on the spherical surface divided into three subregions, with nonlocal boundary conditions set on their boundaries. The boundary value problem is degenerate and non-self-adjoint. The problem is solved by an iterative method with a regularizing operator, which is inverted by using separation of variables and applying the fast Fourier transform with respect to one variable and the sweep method with respect to the other.