arXiv subjects

Zhaonan Dong

Publications and source records attributed to Zhaonan Dong.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

$hp$-a posteriori error estimates for hybrid high-order methods applied to biharmonic problems

We derive a residual-based $hp$-a posteriori error estimator for hybrid high-order (HHO) methods on simplicial meshes applied to the biharmonic problem posed on two- and three-dimensional polytopal Lipschitz domains. The a posteriori error estimator hinges on an error decomposition into conforming and nonconforming components. To bound the nonconforming error, we use a $C^1$-partition of unity constructed via Alfeld splittings, combined with local Helmholtz decompositions on vertex stars where the key contribution is to show that the stability constant only depends on the mesh shape-regularity. For the conforming error, we design two residual-based estimators, each associated with a specific interpolation operator. In the first setting, the upper bound on the conforming error involves only the stabilization term and the data oscillation, but hinges on an assumption that we verify numerically. In the second setting, the bound additionally incorporates bulk residuals, normal flux jumps, and tangential jumps. Numerical experiments confirm the theoretical findings on the error upper bound and also illustrate numerically that the proposed estimators lead to moderate effectivity indices.

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arXiv2026

On $p$-robust convergence and optimality of adaptive FEM driven by equilibrated-flux estimators

Building on existing $hp$-adaptive algorithms driven by equilibrated-flux estimators from [ESAIM Math. Model. Numer. Anal. 57 (2023), 329--366] and the references therein, we propose a novel $h$-adaptive algorithm for a fixed polynomial degree $p$. We consider a conforming finite element discretization of the Poisson equation in two or three space dimensions. Supposing piecewise polynomial right-hand side of degree $p-1$, we show that the algorithm yields error contraction at each step, with a contraction factor that is independent of $p$ provided that a certain {\sl a posteriori} verifiable criterion is satisfied. We further show that this algorithm converges at optimal algebraic rate $s$ if the Dörfler marking parameter is chosen below some specified $p$-independent upper threshold. The constants involved here are $p$-robust, although they may depend on the rate $s$. The theoretical results are supported by numerical experiments, in which the {\sl a posteriori} criterion is always satisfied for one or a few local mesh refinement steps by newest-vertex bisection.

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arXiv2026

A note on the constants in inverse trace inequalities for polynomials orthogonal to lower-order subspaces

We derive sharp, explicit constants in inverse trace inequalities for polynomial functions belonging to $\mathbb{P}_p(T)$ (polynomial space with total degree $p$) that are orthogonal to the lower-order subspace $\mathbb{P}_n(T)$, $n\leq p$, where $T$ denotes a $d$-dimensional simplex. The proofs rely on orthogonal polynomial expansions on reference simplices and on a careful analysis of the eigenvalues of the relevant blocks of the face mass matrices, following the arguments developed in~\cite{warburton2003constants}. The novelty is that the extremal face-mass eigenvalue is computed after removing the polynomial modes of degree at most $n$. This yields inverse trace inequality constants involving the factor $(p-n)(p+n+d+1)$ instead of the classical factor $(p+1)(p+d)$, and therefore quantifies the gain in $p$ available in projection-error estimates. These results are very useful in the $hp$-analysis of the hybrid Galerkin methods, e.g. hybridizable discontinuous Galerkin methods, hybrid high-order methods, etc.

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arXiv2026

Weighted $H^2$ regularity of fluid-structure interaction when the interface intersects the boundary

This paper analyzes the regularity of solutions to a fluid-structure interaction (FSI) problem involving a Stokesian fluid and a linear elastic solid in a two-dimensional polygonal domain, seperated by an interface which intersects the boundary of the domain. The main challenges arise from the limited solution regularity caused by geometric singularities at the domain corners. To address this, we introduce tailored weighted Sobolev spaces, denoted by $\mathbf{H}^{k,l}_{\boldsymbolβ}$, and a novel solution operator framework on these spaces. This framework provides the key insight for decoupling the coupled FSI system into tractable fluid and elastic solid subproblems in the regularity analysis. As our main result, we prove the existence and uniqueness of a solution in the weighted Sobolev space $\mathbf{H}^{2,2}_{\boldsymbolβ}$.

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arXiv2026

Pressure-robust $hp$-a posteriori error estimates of $\boldsymbol{H}(\mathrm{div})$-conforming discontinuous Galerkin methods for the Stokes equations

We devise and analyze a pressure-robust residual-based $hp$-a posteriori error estimator for $\boldsymbol{H}(\mathrm{div})$-conforming discontinuous Galerkin (dG) methods for the Stokes problem on two- and three-dimensional polytopal Lipschitz domains. The estimator provides an upper bound and a local lower bound for the velocity error in the energy norm, both robust with respect to the viscosity and independent of the pressure. Our analysis relies on a decomposition of the error into conforming and nonconforming parts. The nonconforming error is bounded using a partition-of-unity framework combined with local Helmholtz decompositions on vertex patches. The conforming error is analyzed by means of the generalized Bogovski\uı operator of [14] in both two and three dimensions, yielding two pressure-independent residual-based estimators associated with different interpolation operators. In the first approach, the upper bound for the conforming error consists of five error indicators and a data oscillation term. Four of these indicators exhibit $p$-optimal scaling, while the remaining one is suboptimal by a factor of $p^{1/2}$. In the second approach, the upper bound involves only two residual indicators together with the data oscillation term, at the expense of losing one order in $p$. Moreover, a pressure-robust local lower bound is established using $H^2$-bubble functions inspired by techniques developed for fourth-order PDEs. Numerical results in two and three dimensions confirm the reliability, efficiency, and pressure-robustness of the proposed estimators.

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arXiv2026

Hypocoercivity-preserving space-time Galerkin methods for kinetic Fokker-Planck equations

We design and analyse a family of hypocoercivity-preserving fully discrete Galerkin methods for the (inhomogeneous) kinetic Fokker--Planck (kFP) equations, a class of evolution PDEs with degenerate diffusion. The proposed methods mimic Villani's framework of enhanced quadratic forms [23], yielding a coercive bilinear form in an exponentially weighted norm that admits a spectral gap/Poincaré inequality despite the degeneracy. The problem is formulated as a fourth-order-in-space evolution PDE on the whole space $\mathbb{R}^{d}\times\mathbb{R}^d$. The spatial discretisation employs continuous piecewise polynomial finite element spaces on simplicial and/or box-type meshes comprising both finite and ``infinite'' elements, while nonconformity is handled by numerical fluxes in the spirit of $C^0$ interior penalty ($C^0$-IP) methods. The analysis requires new polynomial inverse trace inequalities in exponentially weighted norms for simplicial, box-type, and semi-infinite prismatic elements, which are proved for a broad class of exponential weights and are of independent interest. Coercivity of the Galerkin method then leads to exponential convergence to equilibrium via an exponentially weighted Poincaré inequality. We further develop a fully discrete scheme by coupling the spatial discretisation with an $hp$-version discontinuous Galerkin time-stepping method of arbitrary order and establish the same exponential convergence. The proposed methods preserve the total mass and exhibit \emph{provably} exponential convergence to equilibrium, making them well suited for long-time kFP simulations. Numerical experiments validate the theoretical results and demonstrate the convergence behaviour of the proposed methods.

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arXiv2026

$hp$-error analysis of mixed-order hybrid high-order methods for elliptic problems on simplicial meshes

We present both $hp$-a priori and $hp$-a posteriori error analysis of a mixed-order hybrid high-order (HHO) method to approximate second-order elliptic problems on simplicial meshes. Our main result on the $hp$-a priori error analysis is a $\frac12$-order $p$-suboptimal error estimate. This result is, to our knowledge, the first of this kind for hybrid nonconforming methods and matches the state-of-the-art for other nonconforming methods (as discontinuous Galerkin methods) with general (mixed Dirichlet/Neumann) boundary conditions. Our second main result is a residual-based $hp$-a posteriori upper error bound, comprising residual, normal flux jump, tangential jump, and stabilization estimators (plus data oscillation terms). The first three terms are $p$-optimal and only the latter is $\frac12$-order $p$-suboptimal. This result is, to our knowledge, the first $hp$-a posteriori error estimate for HHO methods. A novel approach based on the partition-of-unity provided by hat basis functions and on local Helmholtz decompositions on vertex stars is devised to estimate the nonconforming error. Finally, we establish local lower error bounds. Remarkably, the normal flux jump estimator is only $\frac12$-order $p$-suboptimal, as it can be bounded by the stabilization owing to the local conservation property of HHO methods. Numerical examples illustrate the theory.

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arXiv2026

Asymptotic numerical hypocoercivity of the space-time discontinuous Galerkin method for the Kolmogorov equation

We are concerned with discretisations of the classical Kolmogorov equation by a standard space-time discontinuous Galerkin method. {The} Kolmogorov equation serves as simple, yet rich enough in the present context, model problem for a wide range of kinetic-type equations: although it involves diffusion in one of the two spatial dimensions only, the combined nature of the first order transport/drift term and the degenerate diffusion are sufficient to `propagate dissipation' across the spatial domain in its entirety. This is a manifestation of the celebrated concept of hypocoercivity, a term coined and studied extensively by Villani in \cite{villani}. We show that the {classical} space-time discontinuous Galerkin method {admits} a corresponding hypocoercivity property at the discrete level, asymptotically for large times. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first result of this kind for any standard Galerkin scheme. This property is shown by proving one part of a discrete inf-sup-type stability result for the method in a family of norms dictated by a modified scalar product motivated by the theory in \cite{villani}. This family of norms contains the full gradient of the numerical solution, thereby allowing for a full spectral gap/Poincaré-type inequality at the discrete level, thus, showcasing a subtle, discretisation-parameter-dependent, numerical hypocoercivity property. Further, we show that the space-time discontinuous Galerkin method is inf-sup stable in the family of norms containing the full gradient of the numerical solution, which may be a result of independent interest.

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arXiv2026

A priori and a posteriori error estimates of a $\mathcal C^0$-in-time method for the wave equation in second order formulation

We establish fully-discrete a priori and semi-discrete in time a posteriori error estimates for a discontinuous-continuous Galerkin discretization of the wave equation in second order formulation; the resulting method is a Petrov-Galerkin scheme based on piecewise polynomial test functions and continuous piecewise polynomial trial functions in time, respectively. Crucial tools in the a priori analysis for the fully-discrete formulation are the design of suitable projection and interpolation operators extending those used in the parabolic setting, and stability estimates based on a nonstandard choice of the test function; a priori estimates are shown, which are measured in $L^\infty$-type norms in time. For the semi-discrete in time formulation, we exhibit reliable a posteriori error estimates for the error measured in the $L^\infty(L^2)$ norm with fully explicit constants; to this aim, we design a reconstruction operator into $\mathcal C^1$ piecewise polynomials over the time grid with optimal approximation properties in terms of the polynomial degree distribution and the time steps. Numerical examples illustrate the theoretical findings.

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arXiv2026

A posteriori error analysis and adaptivity of a space-time finite element method for the wave equation in second order formulation

We establish rigorous \emph{a posteriori} error bounds for a space-time finite element method of arbitrary order discretising linear wave problems in second order formulation. The method combines standard finite elements in space and continuous piecewise polynomials in time with an upwind discontinuous Galerkin-type approximation for the second temporal derivative. The proposed scheme accepts dynamic mesh modification, as required by space-time adaptive algorithms, resulting in a discontinuous temporal discretisation when mesh changes occur. We prove \emph{a posteriori} error bounds in the $L^\infty(L^2)$-norm, using carefully designed temporal and spatial reconstructions; explicit control on the constants (including the spatial and temporal orders of the method) in those error bounds is shown. The convergence behaviour of an error estimator is verified numerically, also taking into account the effect of the mesh change. A space-time adaptive algorithm is proposed and tested numerically.

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arXiv2026

$\boldsymbol{H}(\textbf{curl})$-reconstruction of piecewise polynomial fields with application to $hp$-a posteriori nonconforming error analysis for Maxwell's equations

We devise and analyse a novel $\boldsymbol{H}(\textbf{curl})$-reconstruction operator for piecewise polynomial fields on shape-regular simplicial meshes. The (non-polynomial) reconstruction is devised over the mesh vertex patches using the partition of unity induced by hat basis functions in combination with local Helmholtz decompositions. Our main focus is on homogeneous tangential boundary conditions. We prove that the difference between the reconstructed $\boldsymbol{H}_0(\textbf{curl})$-field and the original, piecewise polynomial field, measured in the broken curl norm and in the $\boldsymbol{L}^2$-norm, can be bounded in terms of suitable jump norms of the original field. The bounds are always $h$-optimal, and $p$-suboptimal by $\frac12$-order for the broken curl norm and by $\frac32$-order for the $\boldsymbol{L}^2$-norm. An auxiliary result of independent interest is a novel broken-curl, divergence-preserving Poincaré inequality on vertex patches. Moreover, the $\boldsymbol{L}^2$-norm estimate can be improved to $\frac12$-order suboptimality under a (reasonable) assumption on the uniform elliptic regularity pickup for a Poisson problem with Neumann conditions over the vertex patches. We also discuss extensions of the $\boldsymbol{H}_0(\textbf{curl})$-reconstruction operator to the prescription of mixed boundary conditions, to agglomerated polytopal meshes, and to convex domains. Finally, we showcase an important application of the $\boldsymbol{H}(\textbf{curl})$-reconstruction operator to the $hp$-a posteriori nonconforming error analysis of Maxwell's equations. We focus on the (symmetric) interior penalty discontinuous Galerkin (dG) approximation of some simplified forms of Maxwell's equations.

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arXiv2024

A hypocoercivity-exploiting stabilised finite element method for Kolmogorov equation

We propose a new stabilised finite element method for the classical Kolmogorov equation. The latter serves as a basic model problem for large classes of kinetic-type equations and, crucially, is characterised by degenerate diffusion. The stabilisation is constructed so that the resulting method admits a \emph{numerical hypocoercivity} property, analogous to the corresponding property of the PDE problem. More specifically, the stabilisation is constructed so that spectral gap is possible in the resulting ``stronger-than-energy'' stabilisation norm, despite the degenerate nature of the diffusion in Kolmogorov, thereby the method has a provably robust behaviour as the ``time'' variable goes to infinity. We consider both a spatially discrete version of the stabilised finite element method and a fully discrete version, with the time discretisation realised by discontinuous Galerkin timestepping. Both stability and a priori error bounds are proven in all cases. Numerical experiments verify the theoretical findings.

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arXiv2024

$hp$-Version space-time discontinuous Galerkin methods for parabolic problems on prismatic meshes

We present a new $hp$-version space-time discontinuous Galerkin (dG) finite element method for the numerical approximation of parabolic evolution equations on general spatial meshes consisting of polygonal/polyhedral (polytopic) elements, giving rise to prismatic space-time elements. A key feature of the proposed method is the use of space-time elemental polynomial bases of \emph{total} degree, say $p$, defined in the physical coordinate system, as opposed to standard dG-time-stepping methods whereby spatial elemental bases are tensorized with temporal basis functions. This approach leads to a fully discrete $hp$-dG scheme using less degrees of freedom for each time step, compared to standard dG time-stepping schemes employing tensorized space-time, with acceptable deterioration of the approximation properties. A second key feature of the new space-time dG method is the incorporation of very general spatial meshes consisting of possibly polygonal/polyhedral elements with \emph{arbitrary} number of faces. A priori error bounds are shown for the proposed method in various norms. An extensive comparison among the new space-time dG method, the (standard) tensorized space-time dG methods, the classical dG-time-stepping, and conforming finite element method in space, is presented in a series of numerical experiments.

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arXiv2024

$hp$-optimal convergence of the original DG method for linear hyperbolic problems on special simplicial meshes

We prove hp-optimal error estimates for the original DG method when approximating solutions to first-order hyperbolic problems with constant convection fields in the L2 and DG norms. The main theoretical tools used in the analysis are novel hp-optimal approximation properties of the special projector introduced in [Cockburn, Dong, Guzman, SINUM, 2008]. We assess the theoretical findings on some test cases.

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arXiv2024

Homogeneous multigrid for hybrid discretizations: application to HHO methods

We prove the uniform convergence of the geometric multigrid V-cycle for hybrid high-order (HHO) and other discontinuous skeletal methods. Our results generalize previously established results for HDG methods, and our multigrid method uses standard smoothers and local solvers that are bounded, convergent, and consistent. We use a weak version of elliptic regularity in our proofs. Numerical experiments confirm our theoretical results.

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arXiv2023

A posteriori error estimates for discontinuous Galerkin methods on polygonal and polyhedral meshes

We present a new residual-type energy-norm a posteriori error analysis for interior penalty discontinuous Galerkin (dG) methods for linear elliptic problems. The new error bounds are also applicable to dG methods on meshes consisting of elements with very general polygonal/polyhedral shapes. The case of simplicial and/or box-type elements is included in the analysis as a special case. In particular, for the upper bounds, an arbitrary number of very small faces are allowed on each polygonal/polyhedral element, as long as certain mild shape regularity assumptions are satisfied. As a corollary, the present analysis generalizes known a posteriori error bounds for dG methods, allowing in particular for meshes with an arbitrary number of irregular hanging nodes per element. The proof hinges on a new conforming recovery strategy in conjunction with a Helmholtz decomposition formula. The resulting a posteriori error bound involves jumps on the tangential derivatives along elemental faces. Local lower bounds are also proven for a number of practical cases. Numerical experiments are also presented, highlighting the practical value of the derived a posteriori error bounds as error estimators.

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arXiv2023

$hp$-optimal interior penalty discontinuous Galerkin methods for the biharmonic problem

We prove $hp$-optimal error estimates for interior penalty discontinuous Galerkin methods (IPDG) for the biharmonic problem with homogeneous essential boundary conditions. We consider tensor product-type meshes in two and three dimensions, and triangular meshes in two dimensions. An essential ingredient in the analysis is the construction of a global $H^2$ piecewise polynomial approximants with $hp$-optimal approximation properties over the given meshes. The $hp$-optimality is also discussed for $\mathcal C^0$-IPDG in two and three dimensions, and the stream formulation of the Stokes problem in two dimensions. Numerical experiments validate the theoretical predictions and reveal that $p$-suboptimality occurs in presence of singular essential boundary conditions.

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arXiv2023

An improved high-order method for elliptic multiscale problems

In this work, we propose a high-order multiscale method for an elliptic model problem with rough and possibly highly oscillatory coefficients. Convergence rates of higher order are obtained using the regularity of the right-hand side only. Hence, no restrictive assumptions on the coefficient, the domain, or the exact solution are required. In the spirit of the Localized Orthogonal Decomposition, the method constructs coarse problem-adapted ansatz spaces by solving auxiliary problems on local subdomains. More precisely, our approach is based on the strategy presented by Maier [SIAM J. Numer. Anal. 59(2), 2021]. The unique selling point of the proposed method is an improved localization strategy curing the effect of deteriorating errors with respect to the mesh size when the local subdomains are not large enough. We present a rigorous a priori error analysis and demonstrate the performance of the method in a series of numerical experiments.

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