Convergence of Finite Difference Schemes for Conservation Laws in Several Space Dimensions: A General Theory

A general framework is proposed for proving convergence of high-order accurate difference schemes for the approximation of conservation laws with several space variables. The standard approach deduces compactness from a BV (bounded variation) stability estimate and Helly's theorem. In this paper, it is proved that an a priori estimate weaker than a BV estimate is sufficient. The method of proof is based on the result of uniqueness given by Di Perna in the class of measure-valued solutions. Several general theorems of convergence are given in the spirit of the Lax-Wendroff theorem. This general method is then applied to the high-order schemes constructed with the modified-flux approach.