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In this work we address the problem of finding serendipity versions of approximate de Rham complexes with enhanced regularity. The starting point is a new abstract construction of general scope which, given three complexes linked by extension and reduction maps, generates a fourth complex with cohomology isomorphic to the former three. This construction is used to devise new serendipity versions of rot-rot and Stokes complexes derived in the Discrete de Rham spirit.

In this work we study the stability, convergence, and pressure-robustness of discretization methods for incompressible flows with hybrid velocity and pressure. Specifically, focusing on the Stokes problem, we identify a set of assumptions that yield inf-sup stability as well as error estimates which distinguish the velocity- and pressure-related contributions to the error. We additionally identify the key properties under which the pressure-related contributions vanish in the estimate of the velocity, thus leading to pressure-robustness. Several examples of existing and new schemes that fit into the framework are provided, and extensive numerical validation of the theoretical properties is provided.

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.

We analyze a Discontinuous Galerkin method for a problem with linear advection-reaction and $p$-type diffusion, with Sobolev indices $p\in (1, \infty)$. The discretization of the diffusion term is based on the full gradient including jump liftings and interior-penalty stabilization while, for the advective contribution, we consider a strengthened version of the classical upwind scheme. The developed error estimates track the dependence of the local contributions to the error on local P\'eclet numbers. A set of numerical tests supports the theoretical derivations.

In this work we design and analyse a Discrete de Rham (DDR) method for the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations. Our focus is, more specifically, on the SDDR variant, where a reduction in the number of unknowns is obtained using serendipity techniques. The main features of the DDR approach are the support of general meshes and arbitrary approximation orders. The method we develop is based on the curl-curl formulation of the momentum equation and, through compatibility with the Helmholtz-Hodge decomposition, delivers pressure-robust error estimates for the velocity. It also enables non-standard boundary conditions, such as imposing the value of the pressure on the boundary. In-depth numerical validation on a complete panel of tests including general polyhedral meshes is provided. The paper also contains an appendix where bounds on DDR potential reconstructions and differential operators are proved in the more general framework of Polytopal Exterior Calculus.

We consider the unilateral contact problem between an elastic body and a rigid foundation in a description that includes both Tresca and Coulomb friction conditions. For this problem, we present an a posteriori error analysis based on an equilibrated stress reconstruction in the Arnold--Falk--Winther space that includes a guaranteed upper bound distinguishing the different components of the error. This analysis is the starting point for the development of an adaptive algorithm including a stopping criterion for the generalized Newton method. This algorithm is then used to perform numerical simulations that validate the theoretical results., Comment: 33 pages, 15 figures

In this paper we prove Poincar\'e inequalities for the Discrete de Rham (DDR) sequence on a general connected polyhedral domain $\Omega$ of $\mathbb{R}^3$. We unify the ideas behind the inequalities for all three operators in the sequence, deriving new proofs for the Poincar\'e inequalities for the gradient and the divergence, and extending the available Poincar\'e inequality for the curl to domains with arbitrary second Betti numbers. A key preliminary step consists in deriving "mimetic" Poincar\'e inequalities giving the existence and stability of the solutions to topological balance problems useful in general discrete geometric settings. As an example of application, we study the stability of a novel DDR scheme for the magnetostatics problem on domains with general topology., Comment: 24 pages

In this work, following the Discrete de Rham (DDR) paradigm, we develop an arbitrary-order discrete divdiv complex on general polyhedral meshes. The construction rests 1) on discrete spaces that are spanned by vectors of polynomials whose components are attached to mesh entities and 2) on discrete operators obtained mimicking integration by parts formulas. We provide an in-depth study of the algebraic properties of the local complex, showing that it is exact on mesh elements with trivial topology. The new DDR complex is used to design a numerical scheme for the approximation of biharmonic problems, for which we provide detailed stability and convergence analyses.

We develop in this work the first polytopal complexes of differential forms. These complexes, inspired by the Discrete De Rham and the Virtual Element approaches, are discrete versions of the de Rham complex of differential forms built on meshes made of general polytopal elements. Both constructions benefit from the high-level approach of polytopal methods, which leads, on certain meshes, to leaner constructions than the finite element method. We establish commutation properties between the interpolators and the discrete and continuous exterior derivatives, prove key polynomial consistency results for the complexes, and show that their cohomologies are isomorphic to the cohomology of the continuous de Rham complex.

In this work we develop a discretisation method for the Brinkman problem that is uniformly well-behaved in all regimes (as identified by a local dimensionless number with the meaning of a friction coefficient) and supports general meshes as well as arbitrary approximation orders. The method is obtained combining ideas from the Hybrid High-Order and Discrete de Rham methods, and its robustness rests on a potential reconstruction and stabilisation terms that change in nature according to the value of the local friction coefficient. We derive error estimates that, thanks to the presence of cut-off factors, are valid across the all regimes and provide extensive numerical validation.

In this work, following the discrete de Rham (DDR) approach, we develop a discrete counterpart of a two-dimensional de Rham complex with enhanced regularity. The proposed construction supports general polygonal meshes and arbitrary approximation orders. We establish exactness on a contractible domain for both the versions of the complex with and without boundary conditions and, for the former, prove a complete set of Poincar\'e-type inequalities. The discrete complex is then used to derive a novel discretisation method for a quad-rot problem which, unlike other schemes in the literature, does not require the forcing term to be prepared. We carry out complete stability and convergence analyses for the proposed scheme and provide numerical validation of the results.

In this work we prove that, for a general polyhedral domain of $\mathbb{R}^3$, the cohomology spaces of the discrete de Rham complex of [Di Pietro and Droniou, An arbitrary-order discrete de Rham complex on polyhedral meshes: Exactness, Poincar\'e inequalities, and consistency, Found. Comput. Math., 2021, DOI: 10.1007/s10208-021-09542-8] are isomorphic to those of the continuous de Rham complex. This is, to the best of our knowledge, the first result of this kind for an arbitrary-order complex built from a general polyhedral mesh.

In this work we address the reduction of face degrees of freedom (DOFs) for discrete elasticity complexes. Specifically, using serendipity techniques, we develop a reduced version of a recently introduced two-dimensional complex arising from traces of the three-dimensional elasticity complex. The keystone of the reduction process is a new estimate of symmetric tensor-valued polynomial fields in terms of boundary values, completed with suitable projections of internal values for higher degrees. We prove an extensive set of new results for the original complex and show that the reduced complex has the same homological and analytical properties as the original one. This paper also contains an appendix with proofs of general Poincar\'e--Korn-type inequalities for hybrid fields.

In a recent work [10], we have introduced a pressure-robust Hybrid High-Order method for the numerical solution of the incompressible Navier-Stokes equations on matching simplicial meshes. Pressure-robust methods are characterized by error estimates for the velocity that are fully independent of the pressure. A crucial question was left open in that work, namely whether the proposed construction could be extended to general polytopal meshes. In this paper we provide a positive answer to this question. Specifically, we introduce a novel divergence-preserving velocity reconstruction that hinges on the solution inside each element of a mixed problem on a subtriangulation, then use it to design discretizations of the body force and convective terms that lead to pressure robustness. An in-depth theoretical study of the properties of this velocity reconstruction, and their reverberation on the scheme, is carried out for polynomial degrees $k \geq 0$ and meshes composed of general polytopes. The theoretical convergence estimates and the pressure robustness of the method are confirmed by an extensive panel of numerical examples.

In this work we investigate from a broad perspective the reduction of degrees of freedom through serendipity techniques for polytopal methods compatible with Hilbert complexes. We first establish an abstract framework that, given two complexes connected by graded maps, identifies a set of properties enabling the transfer of the homological and analytical properties from one complex to the other. This abstract framework is designed having in mind discrete complexes, with one of them being a reduced version of the other, such as occurring when applying serendipity techniques to numerical methods. We then use this framework as an overarching blueprint to design a serendipity DDR complex. Thanks to the combined use of higher-order reconstructions and serendipity, this complex compares favorably in terms of degrees of freedom (DOF) count to all the other polytopal methods previously introduced and also to finite elements on certain element geometries. The gain resulting from such a reduction in the number of DOFs is numerically evaluated on two model problems: a magnetostatic model, and the Stokes equations.

In this work we develop a novel fully discrete version of the plates complex, an exact Hilbert complex relevant for the mixed formulation of fourth-order problems. The derivation of the discrete complex follows the discrete de Rham paradigm, leading to an arbitrary-order construction that applies to meshes composed of general polygonal elements. The discrete plates complex is then used to derive a novel numerical scheme for Kirchhoff--Love plates, for which a full stability and convergence analysis are performed. Extensive numerical tests complete the exposition.

This paper contains two major contributions. First we derive, following the discrete de Rham (DDR) and Virtual Element (VEM) paradigms, pressure-robust methods for the Stokes equations that support arbitrary orders and polyhedral meshes. Unlike other methods presented in the literature, pressure-robustness is achieved here without resorting to an $\boldsymbol{H}({\rm div})$-conforming construction on a submesh, but rather projecting the volumetric force onto the discrete $\boldsymbol{H}({\bf curl})$ space. The cancellation of the pressure error contribution stems from key commutation properties of the underlying DDR and VEM complexes. The pressure-robust error estimates in $h^{k+1}$ (with $h$ denoting the meshsize and $k\ge 0$ the polynomial degree of the DDR or VEM complex) are proven theoretically and supported by a panel of three-dimensional numerical tests. The second major contribution of the paper is an in-depth study of the relations between the DDR and VEM approaches. We show, in particular, that a complex developed following one paradigm admits a reformulation in the other, and that couples of related DDR and VEM complexes satisfy commuting diagram properties with the degrees of freedom maps.

We present an a posteriori error estimate based on equilibrated stress reconstructions for the finite element approximation of a unilateral contact problem with weak enforcement of the contact conditions. We start by proving a guaranteed upper bound for the dual norm of the residual. This norm is shown to control the natural energy norm up to a boundary term, which can be removed under a saturation assumption. The basic estimate is then refined to distinguish the different components of the error, and is used as a starting point to design an algorithm including adaptive stopping criteria for the nonlinear solver and automatic tuning of a regularization parameter. We then discuss an actual way of computing the stress reconstruction based on the Arnold-Falk-Winther finite elements. Finally, after briefly discussing the efficiency of our estimators, we showcase their performance on a panel of numerical tests.