Applicability of the Discontinuous Galerkin method for outdoor noise propagation simulations

Simulation of outdoor noise propagation is often performed using geometry-based methods. However, these methods typically lack the ability to accurately capture wave phenomena, such as diffraction, leading to limitations in the low-frequency range. This study investigates the application of the Discontinuous Galerkin (DG) method, a wave-based computational approach, for simulating acoustic wave propagation in the time domain within a large, real-world outdoor environment. The DG method supports high-order basis functions in both spatial and temporal dimensions and uses a matrix free approach for high computational efficiency suitable for computations on high performance clusters. Additionally, an acoustic source term enables the simulation of moving sources with arbitrary waveforms, making it flexible and well-suited for modeling traffic noise propagation. Preliminary results from DG simulations conducted in a geometrically complex outdoor setting are presented, demonstrating the potential of this method for accurate noise propagation analysis.