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A nonconforming $P_2$ finite element is constructed by enriching the conforming $P_2$ finite element space with seven $P_2$ nonconforming bubble functions (out of fifteen such bubble functions on each tetrahedron). This spacial nonconforming $P_2$ finite element, combined with the discontinuous $P_1$ finite element on general tetrahedral grids, is inf-sup stable for solving the Stokes equations. Consequently such a mixed finite element method produces optimal-order convergen solutions for solving the stationary Stokes equations. Numerical tests confirm the theory.

A nonconforming $P_3$ finite element is constructed by enriching the conforming $P_3$ finite element space with three $P_3$ nonconforming bubbles and six additional $P_4$ nonconforming bubbles, on each tetrahedron. Here the divergence of the $P_4$ bubble is not a $P_3$ polynomial, but a $P_2$ polynomial. This nonconforming $P_3$ finite element, combined with the discontinuous $P_2$ finite element, is inf-sup stable for solving the Stokes equations on general tetrahedral grids. Consequently such a mixed finite element method produces quasi-optimal solutions for solving the stationary Stokes equations. With these special $P_4$ bubbles, the discrete velocity remains locally pointwise divergence-free. Numerical tests confirm the theory.

On meshes with the maximum angle condition violated, the standard conforming, nonconforming, and discontinuous Galerkin finite elements do not converge to the true solution when the mesh size goes to zero. It is shown that one type of weak Galerkin finite element method converges on triangular and tetrahedral meshes violating the maximum angle condition, i.e., on arbitrary meshes. Numerical tests confirm the theory.

This paper introduces a novel approach to analyzing overlapping Schwarz methods for N\'{e}d\'{e}lec and Raviart--Thomas vector field problems. The theory is based on new regular stable decompositions for vector fields that are robust to the topology of the domain. Enhanced estimates for the condition numbers of the preconditioned linear systems are derived, dependent linearly on the relative overlap between the overlapping subdomains. Furthermore, we present the numerical experiments which support our theoretical results.

When solving the Poisson equation on honeycomb hexagonal grids, we show that the $P_1$ virtual element is three-order superconvergent in $H^1$-norm, and two-order superconvergent in $L^2$ and $L^\infty$ norms. We define a local post-process which lifts the superconvergent $P_1$ solution to a $P_3$ solution of the optimal-order approximation. The theory is confirmed by a numerical test.

This paper presents a new weak Galerkin (WG) method for elliptic interface problems on general curved polygonal partitions. The method's key innovation lies in its ability to transform the complex interface jump condition into a more manageable Dirichlet boundary condition, simplifying the theoretical analysis significantly. The numerical scheme is designed by using locally constructed weak gradient on the curved polygonal partitions. We establish error estimates of optimal order for the numerical approximation in both discrete $H^1$ and $L^2$ norms. Additionally, we present various numerical results that serve to illustrate the robust numerical performance of the proposed WG interface method., Comment: 19 pages, 9 tables and 4 figures

This paper is concerned with the development of weak Galerkin (WG) finite element method for optimal control problems governed by second order elliptic partial differential equations (PDEs). It is advantageous to use discontinuous finite elements over the traditional $C^1$ finite elements here. Optimal order error estimates are established and confirmed by some numerical tests., Comment: 23 pages, 3 figures, 5 tables. arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:1806.01583

Stabilizer-free $P_k$ virtual elements are constructed on polygonal and polyhedral meshes. Here the interpolating space is the space of continuous $P_k$ polynomials on a triangular-subdivision of each polygon, or a tetrahedral-subdivision of each polyhedron. With such an accurate and proper interpolation, the stabilizer of the virtual elements is eliminated while the system is kept positive-definite. We show that the stabilizer-free virtual elements converge at the optimal order in 2D and 3D. Numerical examples are computed, validating the theory., Comment: arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:2309.09660

A family of stabilizer-free $P_k$ virtual elements are constructed on triangular meshes. When choosing an accurate and proper interpolation, the stabilizer of the virtual elements can be dropped while the quasi-optimality is kept. The interpolating space here is the space of continuous $P_k$ polynomials on the Hsieh-Clough-Tocher macro-triangle, where the macro-triangle is defined by connecting three vertices of a triangle with its barycenter. We show that such an interpolation preserves $P_k$ polynomials locally and enforces the coerciveness of the resulting bilinear form. Consequently the stabilizer-free virtual element solutions converge at the optimal order. Numerical tests are provided to confirm the theory and to be compared with existing virtual elements.

We introduce a new numerical method for solving time-harmonic Maxwell's equations via the modified weak Galerkin technique. The inter-element functions of the weak Galerkin finite elements are replaced by the average of the two discontinuous polynomial functions on the two sides of the polygon, in the modified weak Galerkin (MWG) finite element method. With the dependent inter-element functions, the weak curl and the weak gradient are defined directly on totally discontinuous polynomials. Optimal-order convergence of the method is proved. Numerical examples confirm the theory and show effectiveness of the modified weak Galerkin method over the existing methods., Comment: 19 pages, 4 tables

We present and analyze a new hybridizable discontinuous Galerkin method (HDG) for the Reissner-Mindlin plate bending system. Our method is based on the formulation utilizing Helmholtz Decomposition. Then the system is decomposed into three problems: two trivial Poisson problems and a perturbed saddle-point problem. We apply HDG scheme for these three problems fully. This scheme yields the optimal convergence rate ($(k+1)$th order in the $\mathrm{L}^2$ norm) which is uniform with respect to plate thickness (locking-free) on general meshes. We further analyze the matrix properties and precondition the new finite element system. Numerical experiments are presented to confirm our theoretical analysis.

This paper introduces an extension of the Morley element for approximating solutions to biharmonic equations. Traditionally limited to piecewise quadratic polynomials on triangular elements, the extension leverages weak Galerkin finite element methods to accommodate higher degrees of polynomials and the flexibility of general polytopal elements. By utilizing the Schur complement of the weak Galerkin method, the extension allows for fewest local degrees of freedom while maintaining sufficient accuracy and stability for the numerical solutions. The numerical scheme incorporates locally constructed weak tangential derivatives and weak second order partial derivatives, resulting in an accurate approximation of the biharmonic equation. Optimal order error estimates in both a discrete $H^2$ norm and the usual $L^2$ norm are established to assess the accuracy of the numerical approximation. Additionally, numerical results are presented to validate the developed theory and demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed extension., Comment: 22 pages, 4 tables, 4 figures

The previous proved-bound is $C(1+\frac{H^2}{\delta^2})$ for the condition number of the overlapping domain decomposition $\mathrm{H}(\mathrm{curl};\Omega)$ and $\mathrm{H}(\mathrm{div};\Omega)$ methods, where $H$ and $\delta$ are the sizes of subdomains and overlaps respectively. But all numerical results indicate that the best bound is $C(1+\frac{H}{\delta})$. In this work, we solve this long-standing open problem by proving that $C(1+\frac{H}{\delta})$ is indeed the best bound.

This article introduces a weak Galerkin (WG) finite element method for quad-curl problems in three dimensions. It is proved that the proposed WG method is stable and accurate in an optimal order of error estimates for the exact solution in discrete norms. In addition, an $L^2$ error estimate in an optimal order except the lowest orders $k=1, 2$ is derived for the WG solution. Some numerical experiments are conducted to verify the efficiency and accuracy of our WG method and furthermore a superconvergence has been observed from the numerical results., Comment: 16 pages, 2 tables

A parallelizable iterative procedure based on domain decomposition is presented and analyzed for weak Galerkin finite element methods for second order elliptic equations. The convergence analysis is established for the decomposition of the domain into individual elements associated to the weak Galerkin methods or into larger subdomains. A series of numerical tests are illustrated to verify the theory developed in this paper., Comment: 18 pages, 4 figures, 12 tables

We construct the nodal basis of $C^m$-$P_{k}^{(3)}$ ($k \ge 2^3m+1$) and $C^m$-$P_{k}^{(4)}$ ($k \ge 2^4m+1$) finite elements on 3D tetrahedral and 4D simplicial grids, respectively. $C^m$-$P_{k}^{(n)}$ stands for the space of globally $C^m$ ($m\ge1$) and locally piecewise $n$-dimensional polynomials of degree $k$ on $n$-dimensional simplicial grids. We prove the uni-solvency and the $C^m$ continuity of the constructed $C^m$-$P_{k}^{(3)}$ and $C^m$-$P_{k}^{(4)}$ finite element spaces. A computer code is provided which generates the index set for the nodal basis of $C^m$-$P_k^{(n)}$ finite elements on $n$-dimensional simplicial grids.

This article introduces a weak Galerkin (WG) finite element method for linear elasticity interface problems on general polygonal/ployhedra partitions. The developed WG method has been proved to be stable and accurate with optimal order error estimates in the discrete $H^1$ norm. Some numerical experiments are conducted to verify the efficiency and accuracy of the proposed WG method., Comment: 17 pages, 7 figures

In this paper, we propose a new numerical scheme for the coupled Stokes-Darcy model with Beavers-Joseph-Saffman interface condition. We use the weak Galerkin method to discretize the Stokes equation and the mixed finite element method to the Darcy equation. A discrete inf-sup condition is proved and optimal error estimates are also derived. Numerical experiments validate the theoretical analysis., Comment: 28 page, 9 tables, 5 figures

In this paper, we show that the permeability of a porous {material} and that of a bubbly fluid are limiting cases of the complexified version of the two-fluid models posed in {Lipton_Avellaneda_1990}. We assume the viscosity of the inclusion fluid is $z\mu_1$ and the viscosity of the hosting fluid is $\mu_1\in \mathbb{R}^+$, $z\in\mathbb{C}$. The proof is carried out by the construction of solutions for large $|z|$ and small $|z|$ with an iteration process and the analytic continuation. Moreover, we also show that for a fixed microstructure, the permeabilities of these three cases share the same integral representation formula (IRF) in Equation (99) with different values of contrast parameter $s:=1/(z-1)$, as long as $s$ is outside the interval $[-\frac{2E_2^2}{1+2E_2^2},-\frac{1}{1+2E_1^2}]$, where the positive constants $E_1$ and $E_2$ are the extension constants that depend only on the geometry of the periodic pore space of the material., Comment: 25 pages

We present and analyze a weak Galerkin finite element method for solving the transport-reaction equation in $d$ space dimensions. This method is highly flexible by allowing the use of discontinuous finite element on general meshes consisting of arbitrary polygon/polyhedra. We derive the \textcolor[rgb]{0.00,0.00,1.00}{$L_2$-error estimate} of $O(h^{k+\frac{1}{2}})$-order for the discrete solution when the $k$th-order polynomials are used for $k\geq 0$. Moreover, for a special class of meshes, we also obtain the \textcolor[rgb]{0.00,0.00,1.00}{optimal error} estimate of $O(h^{k+1})$-order in the $L_2$-norm. A derivative recovery formula is presented to approximate the convection \textcolor[rgb]{1.00,0.00,0.00}{directional derivative} and the corresponding superconvergence estimate is given. Numerical examples on compatible and non-compatible meshes are provided to show the effectiveness of this weak Galerkin method.

In this paper, we present and analyze a weak Galerkin finite element (WG) method for solving the symmetric hyperbolic systems. This method is highly flexible by allowing the use of discontinuous finite elements on element and its boundary independently of each other. By introducing special weak derivative, we construct a stable weak Galerkin scheme and derive the optimal $L_2$-error estimate of $O(h^{k+\frac{1}{2}})$-order for the discrete solution when the $k$-order polynomials are used for $k\geq 0$. As application, we discuss this WG method for solving the singularly perturbed convection-diffusion-reaction equation and derive an $\varepsilon$-uniform error estimate of order $k+1/2$. Numerical examples are provided to show the effectiveness of the proposed WG method.

In this paper, we propose a new stabilizer free and pressure robust WG method for the Stokes equations with super-convergence on polytopal mesh in the primary velocity-pressure formulation. Convergence rates with one order higher than the optimal-order for velocity in both energy-norm and the $L^2$-norm and for pressure in $L^2$-norm are proved in our proposed scheme. The $H$(div)-preserving operator has been constructed based on the polygonal mesh for arbitrary polynomial degrees and employed in the body source assembling to break the locking phenomenon induced by poor mass conservation in the classical discretization. Moreover, the velocity error in our proposed scheme is proved to be independent of pressure and thus confirm the pressure-robustness. For Stokes simulation, our proposed scheme only modifies the body source assembling but remains the same stiffness matrix. Four numerical experiments are conducted to validate the convergence results and robustness.

When solving the Poisson equation by the finite element method, we use one degree of freedom for interpolation by the given Laplacian - the right hand side function in the partial differential equation. The finite element solution is the Galerkin projection in a smaller vector space. The idea is similar to that of interpolating the boundary condition in the standard finite element method. Due to the pointwise interpolation, our method yields a smaller system of equations and a better condition number. The number of unknowns on each element is reduced significantly from $(k^2+3k+2)/2$ to $3k$ for the $P_k$ ($k\ge 3$) finite element. We construct 2D $P_2$ conforming and nonconforming, and $P_k$ ($k\ge3$) conforming interpolated Galerkin finite elements on triangular grids. This interpolated Galerkin finite element method is proved to converge at the optimal order. Numerical tests and comparisons with the standard finite elements are presented, verifying the theory and showing advantages of the interpolated Galerkin finite element method.

A $P_{k+2}$ polynomial lifting operator is defined on polygons and polyhedrons. It lifts discontinuous polynomials inside the polygon/polyhedron and on the faces to a one-piece $P_{k+2}$ polynomial. With this lifting operator, we prove that the weak Galerkin finite element solution, after this lifting, converges at two orders higher than the optimal order, in both $L^2$ and $H^1$ norms. The theory is confirmed by numerical solutions of 2D and 3D Poisson equations.

A stabilizer free WG method is introduced for the Stokes equations with superconvergence on polytopal mesh in primary velocity-pressure formulation. Convergence rates two order higher than the optimal-order for velocity of the WG approximation is proved in both an energy norm and the $L^2$ norm. Optimal order error estimate for pressure in the $L^2$ norm is also established. The numerical examples cover low and high order approximations, and 2D and 3D cases., Comment: arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:2007.01161

A weak Galerkin (WG) finite element method without stabilizers was introduced in [J. Comput. Appl. Math., 371 (2020). arXiv:1906.06634] on polytopal mesh. Then it was improved in [arXiv:2008.13631] with order one superconvergence. The goal of this paper is to develop a new stabilizer free WG method on polytopal mesh. This method has convergence rates two orders higher than the optimal convergence rates for the corresponding WG solution in both an energy norm and the $L^2$ norm. The numerical examples are tested for low and high order elements in two and three dimensional spaces.

In this paper, we introduce new stable mixed finite elements of any order on polytopal mesh for solving second order elliptic problem. We establish optimal order error estimates for velocity and super convergence for pressure. Numerical experiments are conducted for our mixed elements of different orders on 2D and 3D spaces that confirm the theory., Comment: arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:2008.13631

A stabilizer free weak Galerkin (WG) finite element method on polytopal mesh has been introduced in Part I of this paper (J. Comput. Appl. Math, 371 (2020) 112699. arXiv:1906.06634.) Removing stabilizers from discontinuous finite element methods simplifies formulations and reduces programming complexity. The purpose of this paper is to introduce a new WG method without stabilizers on polytopal mesh that has convergence rates one order higher than optimal convergence rates. This method is the first WG method that achieves superconvergence on polytopal mesh. Numerical examples in 2D and 3D are presented verifying the theorem., Comment: arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1906.06634, arXiv:2004.11192, arXiv:2004.13019

A new discontinuous Galerkin finite element method for the Stokes equations is developed in the primary velocity-pressure formulation. This method employs discontinuous polynomials for both velocity and pressure on general polygonal/polyhedral meshes. Most finite element methods with discontinuous approximation have one or more stabilizing terms for velocity and for pressure to guarantee stability and convergence. This new finite element method has the standard conforming finite element formulation, without any velocity or pressure stabilizers. Optimal-order error estimates are established for the corresponding numerical approximation in various norms. The numerical examples are tested for low and high order elements up to the degree four in 2D and 3D spaces., Comment: arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:2006.11853

In this paper, we introduce a new finite element method for solving the Stokes equations in the primary velocity-pressure formulation. This method employs $H(div)$ finite elements to approximate velocity, which leads to two unique advantages: exact divergence free velocity field and pressure-robustness. In addition, this method has a simple formulation without any stabilizer or penalty term. Optimal-order error estimates are established for the corresponding numerical approximation in various norms. Extensive numerical investigations are conducted to test accuracy and robustness of the method and to confirm the theory. The numerical examples cover low and high order approximations up to the degree four, and 2D and 3D cases.

Two de Rham complex sequences of the finite element spaces are introduced for weak finite element functions and weak derivatives developed in the weak Galerkin (WG) finite element methods on general polyhedral elements. One of the sequences uses polynomials of equal order for all the finite element spaces involved in the sequence and the other one uses polynomials of naturally decending orders. It is shown that the diagrams in both de Rham complexes commute for general polyhedral elements. The exactness of one of the complexes is established for the lowest order element., Comment: 15 pages

The weak Galerkin (WG) finite element method is an effective and flexible general numerical technique for solving partial differential equations. It is a natural extension of the classic conforming finite element method for discontinuous approximations, which maintains simple finite element formulation. Stabilizer free weak Galerkin methods further simplify the WG methods and reduce computational complexity. This paper explores the possibility of optimal combination of polynomial spaces that minimize the number of unknowns in the stabilizer free WG schemes without compromising the accuracy of the numerical approximation. A new stabilizer free weak Galerkin finite element method is proposed and analyzed with polynomial degree reduction. To achieve such a goal, a new definition of weak gradient is introduced. Error estimates of optimal order are established for the corresponding WG approximations in both a discrete $H^1$ norm and the standard $L^2$ norm. The numerical examples are tested on various meshes and confirm the theory., Comment: arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:2004.11192, arXiv:1906.06634

The weak Galerkin (WG) finite element method is an effective and flexible general numerical technique for solving partial differential equations. The novel idea of weak Galerkin finite element methods is on the use of weak functions and their weak derivatives defined as distributions. Weak functions and weak derivatives can be approximated by polynomials with various degrees. Different combination of polynomial spaces generates different weak Galerkin finite elements. The purpose of this paper is to study stability, convergence and supercloseness of different WG elements by providing many numerical experiments recorded in 31 tables. These tables serve two purposes. First it provides a detail guide of the performance of different WG elements. Second, the information in the tables opens new research territory why some WG elements outperform others.

The weak Galerkin (WG) finite element method is an effective and flexible general numerical techniques for solving partial differential equations. A simple weak Galerkin finite element method is introduced for second order elliptic problems. First we have proved that stabilizers are no longer needed for this WG element. Then we have proved the supercloseness of order two for the WG finite element solution. The numerical results confirm the theory, Comment: arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1304.6481

In this paper, we study the stabilizer-free weak Galerkin methods on polytopal meshes for a class of second order elliptic boundary value problems of divergence form and with gradient nonlinearity in the principal coefficient. With certain assumptions on the nonlinear coefficient, we show that the discrete problem has a unique solution. This is achieved by showing that the associated operator satisfies certain continuity and monotonicity properties. With the help of these properties, we derive optimal error estimates in the energy norm. We present several numerical examples to verify the error estimates., Comment: 12 pages

In this article, a family of $H^2$-nonconforming finite elements on tetrahedral grids is constructed for solving the biharmonic equation in 3D. In the family, the $P_\ell$ polynomial space is enriched by some high order polynomials for all $\ell\ge 3$ and the corresponding finite element solution converges at the optimal order $\ell-1$ in $H^2$ norm. Moreover, the result is improved for two low order cases by using $P_6$ and $P_7$ polynomials to enrich $P_4$ and $P_5$ polynomial spaces, respectively. The optimal order error estimate is proved. The numerical results are provided to confirm the theoretical findings.

A conforming discontinuous Galerkin finite element method is introduced for solving the biharmonic equation. This method, by its name, uses discontinuous approximations and keeps simple formulation of the conforming finite element method at the same time. The ultra simple formulation of the method will reduce programming complexity in practice. Optimal order error estimates in a discrete $H^2$ norm is established for the corresponding finite element solutions. Error estimates in the $L^2$ norm are also derived with a sub-optimal order of convergence for the lowest order element and an optimal order of convergence for all high order of elements. Numerical results are presented to confirm the theory of convergence., Comment: arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:1907.09413

A new stabilizer free weak Galerkin (WG) method is introduced and analyzed for the biharmonic equation. Stabilizing/penalty terms are often necessary in the finite element formulations with discontinuous approximations to ensure the stability of the methods. Removal of stabilizers will simplify finite element formulations and reduce programming complexity. This stabilizer free WG method has an ultra simple formulation and can work on general partitions with polygons/polyhedra. Optimal order error estimates in a discrete $H^2$ for $k\ge 2$ and in $L^2$ norm for $k>2$ are established for the corresponding weak Galerkin finite element solutions. Numerical results are provided to confirm the theories., Comment: arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1309.5560, arXiv:1510.06001 by other authors

A conforming discontinuous Galerkin (DG) finite element method has been introduced in [21] on simplicial meshes, which has the flexibility of using discontinuous approximation and the simplicity in formulation of the classic continuous finite element method. The goal of this paper is to extend the conforming DG finite element method in \cite{cdg1} so that it can work on general polytopal meshes by designing weak gradient $\nabla_w$ appropriately. Two different conforming DG formulations on polytopal meshes are introduced which handle boundary conditions differently. Error estimates of optimal order are established for the corresponding conforming DG approximation in both a discrete $H^1$ norm and the $L^2$ norm. Numerical results are presented to confirm the theory., Comment: arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:1906.06634

A stabilizing/penalty term is often used in finite element methods with discontinuous approximations to enforce connection of discontinuous functions across element boundaries. Removing stabilizers from discontinuous finite element methods will simplify the formulations and reduce programming complexity significantly. The goal of this paper is to introduce a stabilizer free weak Galerkin finite element method for second order elliptic equations on polytopal meshes in 2D or 3D. This new WG method keeps a simple symmetric positive definite form and can work on polygonal/polyheral meshes. Optimal order error estimates are established for the corresponding WG approximations in both a discrete $H^1$ norm and the $L^2$ norm. Numerical results are presented verifying the theorem.

A new finite element method with discontinuous approximation is introduced for solving second order elliptic problem. Since this method combines the features of both conforming finite element method and discontinuous Galerkin (DG) method, we call it conforming DG method. While using DG finite element space, this conforming DG method maintains the features of the conforming finite element method such as simple formulation and strong enforcement of boundary condition. Therefore, this finite element method has the flexibility of using discontinuous approximation and simplicity in formulation of the conforming finite element method. Error estimates of optimal order are established for the corresponding discontinuous finite element approximation in both a discrete $H^1$ norm and the $L^2$ norm. Numerical results are presented to confirm the theory.

In this paper, we will use the interior functions of an hierarchical basis for high order $BDM_p$ elements to enforce the divergence-free condition of a magnetic field $B$ approximated by the H(div) $BDM_p$ basis. The resulting constrained finite element method can be used to solve magnetic induction equation in MHD equations. The proposed procedure is based on the fact that the scalar $(p-1)$-th order polynomial space on each element can be decomposed as an orthogonal sum of the subspace defined by the divergence of the interior functions of the $p$-th order $BDM_p$ basis and the constant function. Therefore, the interior functions can be used to remove element-wise all higher order terms except the constant in the divergence error of the finite element solution of $B$-field. The constant terms from each element can be then easily corrected using a first order H(div) basis globally. Numerical results for a 3-D magnetic induction equation show the effectiveness of the proposed method in enforcing divergence-free condition of the magnetic field., Comment: arXiv admin note: text overlap with arXiv:1210.5575

In this paper, we construct, in a unified fashion, lower order finite element subspaces of spaces of symmetric tensors with square-integrable divergence on a domain in any dimension. These subspaces are essentially the symmetric H(div)-Pk (1=

A family of stable mixed finite elements for the linear elasticity on tetrahedral grids are constructed, where the stress is approximated by symmetric $H(\d)$-$P_k$ polynomial tensors and the displacement is approximated by $C^{-1}$-$P_{k-1}$ polynomial vectors, for all $k\ge 4$. Numerical tests are provided., Comment: 11. arXiv admin note: substantial text overlap with arXiv:1406.7457

This paper is to prove superconvergence of a family of simple conforming mixed finite elements of first orderfor the linear elasticity problem with the Hellinger--Reissner variational formulation. The analysis is based on three main ingredients: a new interpolation operator, a new expansion method, and a new iterative argument for superconvergence analysis., Comment: pages 18

This paper presents a family of mixed finite elements on triangular grids for solving the classical Hellinger-Reissner mixed problem of the elasticity equations. In these elements, the matrix-valued stress field is approximated by the full $C^0$-$P_k$ space enriched by $(k-1)$ $H(\d)$ edge bubble functions on each internal edge, while the displacement field by the full discontinuous $P_{k-1}$ vector-valued space, for the polynomial degree $k\ge 3$. The main challenge is to find the correct stress finite element space matching the full $C^{-1}$-$P_{k-1}$ displacement space. The discrete stability analysis for the inf-sup condition does not rely on the usual Fortin operator, which is difficult to construct. It is done by characterizing the divergence of local stress space which covers the $P_{k-1}$ space of displacement orthogonal to the local rigid-motion. The well-posedness condition and the optimal a priori error estimate are proved for this family of finite elements. Numerical tests are presented to confirm the theoretical results., Comment: Pages 17, Figures 6

This paper introduces a numerical scheme for time harmonic Maxwell's equations by using weak Galerkin (WG) finite element methods. The WG finite element method is based on two operators: discrete weak curl and discrete weak gradient, with appropriately defined stabilizations that enforce a weak continuity of the approximating functions. This WG method is highly flexible by allowing the use of discontinuous approximating functions on arbitrary shape of polyhedra and, at the same time, is parameter free. Optimal-order of convergence is established for the weak Galerkin approximations in various discrete norms which are either $H^1$-like or $L^2$ and $L^2$-like. An effective implementation of the WG method is developed through variable reduction by following a Schur-complement approach, yielding a system of linear equations involving unknowns associated with element boundaries only. Numerical results are presented to confirm the theory of convergence., Comment: 23 pages, 6 tables, 2 figures

A family of mixed finite elements is proposed for solving the first order system of linear elasticity equations in any space dimension, where the stress field is approximated by symmetric finite element tensors. This family of elements has a perfect matching between the stress components and the displacement. The discrete spaces for the normal stress $\sigma_{ii}$, the shear stress $\sigma_{ij}$ and the displacement $u_i$ are $\operatorname{span}\{1,x_i\}$, $\operatorname{span}\{1,x_i,x_j\}$ and $\operatorname{span}\{1\}$, respectively, on rectangular grids. In particular, the definition remains the same for all space dimensions. As a result of these choices, the theoretical analysis is independent of the spatial dimension as well. In 1D, this element is nothing else but the 1D Raviart-Thomas element, which is the only conforming element in this family. In 2D and higher dimensions, they are new elements but of the minimal degrees of freedom. The total degrees of freedom per element is 2 plus 1 in 1D, 7 plus 2 in 2D, and 15 plus 3 in 3D. The previous record of the least degrees of freedom is, 13 plus 4 in 2D, and 54 plus 12 in 3D, on the rectangular grid. These elements are the simplest element for any space dimension. The well-posedness condition and the optimal a priori error estimate of the family of finite elements are proved for both pure displacement and traction problems. Numerical tests in 2D and 3D are presented to show a superiority of the new element over others, as a superconvergence is surprisingly exhibited.

It is well-known that it is comparatively difficult to design nonconforming finite elements on quadrilateral meshes by using Gauss-Legendre points on each edge of triangulations. One reason lies in that these degrees of freedom associated to these Gauss-Legendre points are not all linearly independent for usual expected polynomial spaces, which explains why only several lower order nonconforming quadrilateral finite elements can be found in literature. The present paper proposes two families of nonconforming finite elements of any odd order and one family of nonconforming finite elements of any even order on quadrilateral meshes. Degrees of freedom are given for these elements, which are proved to be well-defined for their corresponding shape function spaces in a unifying way. These elements generalize three lower order nonconforming finite elements on quadrilaterals to any order. In addition, these nonconforming finite element spaces are shown to be full spaces which is somehow not discussed for nonconforming finite elements in literature before., Comment: 23 pages

A C^0-weak Galerkin (WG) method is introduced and analyzed for solving the biharmonic equation in 2D and 3D. A weak Laplacian is defined for C^0 functions in the new weak formulation. This WG finite element formulation is symmetric, positive definite and parameter free. Optimal order error estimates are established in both a discrete H^2 norm and the L^2 norm, for the weak Galerkin finite element solution. Numerical results are presented to confirm the theory. As a technical tool, a refined Scott-Zhang interpolation operator is constructed to assist the corresponding error estimate. This refined interpolation preserves the volume mass of order (k+1-d) and the surface mass of order (k+2-d) for the P_{k+2} finite element functions in d-dimensional space., Comment: 21 pages