arXiv subjects

Andrea Moiola

Publications and source records attributed to Andrea Moiola.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Trefftz DG Approximation of the T-Matrix for Scattering by Periodic Layered Structures

We study the scattering of time-harmonic electromagnetic waves by periodic layered gratings, modelled by the 2D Helmholtz equation. The periodic obstacle may include penetrable and impenetrable regions, and consists of a finite number of stacked layers. The boundary value problem is formulated on a single periodic cell using quasi-periodic boundary conditions. The radiation condition in the vertical directions is imposed through Dirichlet-to-Neumann (DtN) operators. To efficiently treat multilayer configurations, we adopt a formulation based on the T-matrix method. The global scattering problem is decomposed into boundary value problems posed on individual layers. On the layer boundaries, the field is expressed in terms of quasi-periodic modal expansions, and the layer T-matrix describes the map between incoming and outgoing wave modes. Each local T-matrix is approximated numerically using a plane-wave based Trefftz Discontinuous Galerkin (TDG) method, which provides an efficient discretization of the layer scattering response. The T-matrix technique leads to linear computational complexity in the number of layers in the grating.

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arXiv2026

A space-time sparse-grid method for the wave equation

We develop a fast space-time numerical scheme for approximating solutions to the linear wave equation. The approach is based on the sparse-grid combination technique applied to a coercive space-time discretization. Designed for tensor-product space-time discretizations, the method enables efficient parallelization of the resulting solver. We provide a rigorous theoretical analysis establishing convergence rates and computational complexity estimates. Numerical experiments validate the theoretical estimates and demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed method.

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arXiv2026

Trefftz methods with evanescent plane waves

Classical Trefftz methods approximate Helmholtz solutions using propagative plane waves and are subject to strong numerical instabilities. Evanescent plane wave bases can substantially mitigate this phenomenon. We propose a simple recipe to select such basis functions. We show that the numerical results obtained by the Ultraweak Variational Formulation (UWVF) greatly improve thanks to this choice. More details and examples will soon be available in [Galante, Moiola, Parolin 2026].

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arXiv2026

A discontinuous Galerkin method with fractal elements

We formulate, analyse, and implement a discontinuous Galerkin finite element method (DG-FEM) for the approximation of the solution of an elliptic boundary value problem in a domain with fractal boundary. We consider the case of the Poisson equation in the Koch snowflake domain with zero Dirichlet boundary conditions, but our methodology can be generalised to other cases. Rather than first approximating the snowflake domain by a polygonal "prefractal" and then applying a standard DG-FEM on the prefractal, we define a DG-FEM on the snowflake itself, using a geometry-conforming mesh (a fractal tiling) consisting of fractal elements, each similar to the original snowflake. Fluxes across inter-element boundaries, which are fractal curves, are represented in a weak way by integrals over element subdomains. We show how, for local polynomial basis functions, these integrals can be evaluated exactly using the similarity of the elements. We prove well-posedness and quasi-optimality of the method, and provide a partial convergence analysis. We present numerical results for piecewise linear and piecewise quadratic basis functions, which demonstrate the effectiveness of the method. We also apply our method to the related Dirichlet eigenvalue problem.

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arXiv2026

A discontinuous Galerkin method for elliptic-hyperbolic equations

We present and analyze a discontinuous Galerkin method for the numerical solution of a class of second-order linear mixed-type partial differential equations, i.e. equations that change their nature from elliptic to hyperbolic through the computational domain. Well-posedness of the discrete problem is established via coercivity in an energy norm, achieved through the Morawetz multiplier technique. We derive $hp$-a priori error estimates in the energy norm, which we use to prove convergence rates for standard and quasi-Trefftz polynomial spaces. Numerical experiments validate the theoretical results.

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arXiv2025

Trefftz Discontinuous Galerkin methods for scattering by periodic structures

We propose a Trefftz discontinuous Galerkin (TDG) method for the approximation of plane wave scattering by periodic diffraction gratings, modelled by the two-dimensional Helmholtz equation. The periodic obstacle may include penetrable and impenetrable regions. The TDG method requires the approximation of the Dirichlet-to-Neumann (DtN) operator on the periodic cell faces, and relies on plane wave discrete spaces. For polygonal meshes, all linear-system entries can be computed analytically. Using a Rellich identity, we prove a new explicit stability estimate for the Helmholtz solution, which is robust in the small material jump limit.

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arXiv2024

Polynomial quasi-Trefftz DG for PDEs with smooth coefficients: elliptic problems

Trefftz schemes are high-order Galerkin methods whose discrete spaces are made of elementwise exact solutions of the underlying PDE. Trefftz basis functions can be easily computed for many PDEs that are linear, homogeneous, and have piecewise-constant coefficients. However, if the equation has variable coefficients, exact solutions are generally unavailable. Quasi-Trefftz methods overcome this limitation relying on elementwise "approximate solutions" of the PDE, in the sense of Taylor polynomials. We define polynomial quasi-Trefftz spaces for general linear PDEs with smooth coefficients and source term, describe their approximation properties and, under a non-degeneracy condition, provide a simple algorithm to compute a basis. We then focus on a quasi-Trefftz DG method for variable-coefficient elliptic diffusion-advection-reaction problems, showing stability and high-order convergence of the scheme. The main advantage over standard DG schemes is the higher accuracy for comparable numbers of degrees of freedom. For non-homogeneous problems with piecewise-smooth source term we propose to construct a local quasi-Trefftz particular solution and then solve for the difference. Numerical experiments in 2 and 3 space dimensions show the excellent properties of the method both in diffusion-dominated and advection-dominated problems.

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arXiv2024

Stable approximation of Helmholtz solutions in the 3D ball using evanescent plane waves

The goal of this paper is to show that evanescent plane waves are much better at numerically approximating Helmholtz solutions than classical propagative plane waves. By generalizing the Jacobi$\unicode{x2013}$Anger identity to complex-valued directions, we first prove that any solution of the Helmholtz equation on a three-dimensional ball can be written as a continuous superposition of evanescent plane waves in a stable way. We then propose a practical numerical recipe to select discrete approximation sets of evanescent plane waves, which exhibits considerable improvements over standard propagative plane wave schemes in numerical experiments. We show that all this is not possible for propagative plane waves: they cannot stably represent general Helmholtz solutions, and any approximation based on discrete sets of propagative plane waves is doomed to have exponentially large coefficients and thus to be numerically unstable. This paper is motivated by applications to Trefftz-type Galerkin schemes and extends the recent results in [Parolin, Huybrechs and Moiola, M2AN, 2023] from two to three space dimensions.

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arXiv2023

A space-time continuous and coercive formulation for the wave equation

We propose a new space-time variational formulation for wave equation initial-boundary value problems. The key property is that the formulation is coercive (sign-definite) and continuous in a norm stronger than $H^1(Q)$, $Q$ being the space-time cylinder. Coercivity holds for constant-coefficient impedance cavity problems posed in star-shaped domains, and for a class of impedance-Dirichlet problems. The formulation is defined using simple Morawetz multipliers and its coercivity is proved with elementary analytical tools, following earlier work on the Helmholtz equation. The formulation can be stably discretised with any $H^2(Q)$-conforming discrete space, leading to quasi-optimal space-time Galerkin schemes. Several numerical experiments show the excellent properties of the method.

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arXiv2023

On polynomial Trefftz spaces for the linear time-dependent Schr\"odinger equation

We study the approximation properties of complex-valued polynomial Trefftz spaces for the $(d+1)$-dimensional linear time-dependent Schr\"odinger equation. More precisely, we prove that for the space-time Trefftz discontinuous Galerkin variational formulation proposed by G\'omez, Moiola (SIAM. J. Num. Anal. 60(2): 688-714, 2022), the same $h$-convergence rates as for polynomials of degree $p$ in $(d + 1)$ variables can be obtained in a mesh-dependent norm by using a space of Trefftz polynomials of anisotropic degree. For such a space, the dimension is equal to that of the space of polynomials of degree $2p$ in $d$ variables, and bases are easily constructed.

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arXiv2023

A space-time DG method for the Schr\"odinger equation with variable potential

We present a space-time ultra-weak discontinuous Galerkin discretization of the linear Schr\"odinger equation with variable potential. The proposed method is well-posed and quasi-optimal in mesh-dependent norms for very general discrete spaces. Optimal $h$-convergence error estimates are derived for the method when test and trial spaces are chosen either as piecewise polynomials, or as a novel quasi-Trefftz polynomial space. The latter allows for a substantial reduction of the number of degrees of freedom and admits piecewise-smooth potentials. Several numerical experiments validate the accuracy and advantages of the proposed method.

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arXiv2023

An unconditionally stable space-time isogeometric method for the acoustic wave equation

We study space--time isogeometric discretizations of the linear acoustic wave equation that use splines of arbitrary degree p, both in space and time. We propose a space--time variational formulation that is obtained by adding a non-consistent penalty term of order 2p+2 to the bilinear form coming from integration by parts. This formulation, when discretized with tensor-product spline spaces with maximal regularity in time, is unconditionally stable: the mesh size in time is not constrained by the mesh size in space. We give extensive numerical evidence for the good stability, approximation, dissipation and dispersion properties of the stabilized isogeometric formulation, comparing against stabilized finite element schemes, for a range of wave propagation problems with constant and variable wave speed.

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arXiv2023

Explicit bounds for the high-frequency time-harmonic Maxwell equations in heterogeneous media

We consider the time-harmonic Maxwell equations posed in $\mathbb{R}^3$. We prove a priori bounds on the solution for $L^\infty$ coefficients $\epsilon$ and $\mu$ satisfying certain monotonicity properties, with these bounds valid for arbitrarily-large frequency, and explicit in the frequency and properties of $\epsilon$ and $\mu$. The class of coefficients covered includes (i) certain $\epsilon$ and $\mu$ for which well-posedness of the time-harmonic Maxwell equations had not previously been proved, and (ii) scattering by a penetrable $C^0$ star-shaped obstacle where $\epsilon$ and $\mu$ are smaller inside the obstacle than outside. In this latter setting, the bounds are uniform across all such obstacles, and the first sharp frequency-explicit bounds for this problem at high-frequency.

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arXiv2022

A Hausdorff-measure boundary element method for acoustic scattering by fractal screens

Sound-soft fractal screens can scatter acoustic waves even when they have zero surface measure. To solve such scattering problems we make what appears to be the first application of the boundary element method (BEM) where each BEM basis function is supported in a fractal set, and the integration involved in the formation of the BEM matrix is with respect to a non-integer order Hausdorff measure rather than the usual (Lebesgue) surface measure. Using recent results on function spaces on fractals, we prove convergence of the Galerkin formulation of this ``Hausdorff BEM'' for acoustic scattering in $\mathbb{R}^{n+1}$ ($n=1,2$) when the scatterer, assumed to be a compact subset of $\mathbb{R}^n\times\{0\}$, is a $d$-set for some $d\in (n-1,n]$, so that, in particular, the scatterer has Hausdorff dimension $d$. For a class of fractals that are attractors of iterated function systems, we prove convergence rates for the Hausdorff BEM and superconvergence for smooth antilinear functionals, under certain natural regularity assumptions on the solution of the underlying boundary integral equation. We also propose numerical quadrature routines for the implementation of our Hausdorff BEM, along with a fully discrete convergence analysis, via numerical (Hausdorff measure) integration estimates and inverse estimates on fractals, estimating the discrete condition numbers. Finally, we show numerical experiments that support the sharpness of our theoretical results, and our solution regularity assumptions, including results for scattering in $\mathbb{R}^2$ by Cantor sets, and in $\mathbb{R}^3$ by Cantor dusts.

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arXiv2022

Space-time virtual elements for the heat equation

We propose and analyze a space-time virtual element method for the discretization of the heat equation in a space-time cylinder, based on a standard Petrov-Galerkin formulation. Local discrete functions are solutions to a heat equation problem with polynomial data. Global virtual element spaces are nonconforming in space, so that the analysis and the design of the method are independent of the spatial dimension. The information between time slabs is transmitted by means of upwind terms involving polynomial projections of the discrete functions. We prove well posedness and optimal error estimates for the scheme, and validate them with several numerical tests.

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arXiv2022

Stable approximation of Helmholtz solutions in the disk by evanescent plane waves

Superpositions of plane waves are known to approximate well the solutions of the Helmholtz equation. Their use in discretizations is typical of Trefftz methods for Helmholtz problems, aiming to achieve high accuracy with a small number of degrees of freedom. However, Trefftz methods lead to ill-conditioned linear systems, and it is often impossible to obtain the desired accuracy in floating-point arithmetic. In this paper we show that a judicious choice of plane waves can ensure high-accuracy solutions in a numerically stable way, in spite of having to solve such ill-conditioned systems. Numerical accuracy of plane wave methods is linked not only to the approximation space, but also to the size of the coefficients in the plane wave expansion. We show that the use of plane waves can lead to exponentially large coefficients, regardless of the orientations and the number of plane waves, and this causes numerical instability. We prove that all Helmholtz fields are continuous superposition of evanescent plane waves, i.e., plane waves with complex propagation vectors associated with exponential decay, and show that this leads to bounded representations. We provide a constructive scheme to select a set of real and complex-valued propagation vectors numerically. This results in an explicit selection of plane waves and an associated Trefftz method that achieves accuracy and stability. The theoretical analysis is provided for a two-dimensional domain with circular shape. However, the principles are general and we conclude the paper with a numerical experiment demonstrating practical applicability also for polygonal domains.

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arXiv2021

Spurious Quasi-Resonances in Boundary Integral Equations for the Helmholtz Transmission Problem

We consider the Helmholtz transmission problem with piecewise-constant material coefficients, and the standard associated direct boundary integral equations. For certain coefficients and geometries, the norms of the inverses of the boundary integral operators grow rapidly through an increasing sequence of frequencies, even though this is not the case for the solution operator of the transmission problem; we call this phenomenon that of spurious quasi-resonances. We give a rigorous explanation of why and when spurious quasi-resonances occur, and propose modified boundary integral equations that are not affected by them.

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arXiv2021

A space-time Trefftz discontinuous Galerkin method for the linear Schr\"odinger equation

A space-time Trefftz discontinuous Galerkin method for the Schr\"odinger equation with piecewise-constant potential is proposed and analyzed. Following the spirit of Trefftz methods, trial and test spaces are spanned by non-polynomial complex wave functions that satisfy the Schro\"odinger equation locally on each element of the space-time mesh. This allows for a significant reduction in the number of degrees of freedom in comparison with full polynomial spaces. We prove well-posedness and stability of the method, and, for the one- and two- dimensional cases, optimal, high-order, h-convergence error estimates in a skeleton norm. Some numerical experiments validate the theoretical results presented.

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