We present new residual estimates based on Kato's square root theorem for spectral approximations of diagonalizable non-self-adjoint differential operators of convection-diffusion-reaction type. These estimates are incorporated as part of an hp-adaptive finite element algorithm for practical spectral computations, where it is shown that the
resulting a posteriori error estimates are reliable. Provided experiments demonstrate the efficiency and reliability of our approach.
This paper establishes the equivalence of conforming Courant finite element method and nonconforming Crouzeix-Raviart finite element method in the sense that the respective energy error norms are equivalent up to generic constants and higher-order data oscillations in a Poisson model problem. The Raviart-Thomas mixed finite element method is better than the previous two whereas the conjecture of the converse relation is proved to be false.
This paper completes the analysis of comparison initiated by Braess in Calcolo (2010). Two numerical benchmarks illustrate the comparison theorems and the possible strict superiority of the Raviart-Thomas mixed finite element method. Applications include least-squares finite element methods and equality of approximation classes for concepts of optimality for adaptive finite element methods.
This note constructs a local generalized finite element basis for elliptic problems with heterogeneous and highly varying diffusion tensor. The basis functions are solutions of local problems on vertex patches. The error of the corresponding generalized finite element method decays exponentially w.r.t. the number of element layers in the patches. Hence, on a uniform mesh of size H, patches of diameter log(1/H) are sufficient to preserve the convergence rates of the classical P1-FEM for the Poisson problem.
The analysis does not rely on regularity of the solution or scale separation in the coefficient.
The result justifies the use of the class of variational multiscale methods, introduced in [Comput. Methods Appl. Mech. Engrg., 196:2313--2324, 2007].
This paper presents some weighted H2-regularity estimates for a model Poisson problem with discontinuous coefficient at high contrast. The coefficient represents a random particle reinforced composite material, i.e., highly conducting circular particles are randomly distributed in some background material with low conductivity. Based on these regularity results we study the percolation of thermal conductivity of the material as the volume fraction of the particles is close to the jammed state. We proof that the characteristic percolation behavior of the material is well captured by standard conforming finite element models.
Solving Time-Dependent Optimal Control Problems in Comsol Multiphyiscs ba Space-Time Discretizations
(2009)
We use COMSOL Multiphysics to solve time-dependent optimal control problems for par-
tial differential equations whose optimality conditions can be formulated as a PDE. For a
class of linear-quadratic model problems we summarize known analytic results on existence
of solutions and first order optimality conditions that exhibit the typical feature of time-dependent control problems, namely the fact that a part of the optimality system has to be
integrated backward in time. We present a strategy that is based on the treatment of the
coupled optimality system in the space-time cylinder. A brief motivation of this approach is
given by showing that the optimality system is elliptic in some sence. Numerical examples
show advantages and limits of the usage of COMSOL Multiphysics and of our approach.
A posteriori error estimators for non-symmetric eigenvalue model problems are discussed in [Heuveline and Rannacher, A posteriori error control for finite element approximations of elliptic eigenvalue problems, 2001] in the context of the dual-weighted residual method (DWR). This paper directly analyses the variational formulation rather than the non-linear ansatz of Becker and Rannacher for some convection-diffusion model problem and presents error estimators for the eigenvalue error based on averaging techniques. In the case of linear P1 finite elements and globally constant coefficients, the error estimates of the residual and averaging error estimators are refined. Moreover, several postprocessing techniques attached to the DWR paradigm plus two new dual-weighted error estimators are compared in numerical experiments. The first new estimator utilises an auxiliary Raviart-Thomas mixed finite element method and the second exploits an averaging technique in combination with ideas of DWR.
We show how time-dependent optimal control for partial differential equations can be realized in a modern high-level modeling and simulation package. We summarize the general formulation for distributed and boundary control for initial-boundary value problems for parabolic PDEs and derive the optimality system including the adjoint equation. The main difficulty therein is that the latter has to be integrated backwards in time. This implies that complicated implementation effort is necessary to couple state and adjoint equations to compute an optimal solution. Furthermore a large amount of computational effort or storage is required to provide the needed information (i.e the trajectories) of the state and adjoint variables. We show how this can be realized in the modeling and simulation package COMSOL MULTIPHYSICS, taking advantage of built-in discretization, solver and post-processing technologies and thus minimizing the implementation effort. We present two strategies: The treatment of the coupled optimality system in the space-time cylinder, and the iterative approach by sequentially solving state and adjoint system and updating the controls. Numerical examples show the elegance of the implementation and the efficiency of the two strategies.
A class of optimal control problem for a semilinear elliptic partial differential equation
with control constraints is considered. It is well known that
sufficient second-order conditions ensure the stability of optimal solutions, the convergence of
numerical methods. Otherwise, such conditions are very difficult to verify (analytically or numerically).
We will propose a new approach: Starting with a numerical solution for a fixed mesh we will
show the existence of a local minimizer of the continuous problem. Moreover, we will prove that
this minimizer satisfies the sufficient second-order conditions.