3 Coercive Problems
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3 Coercive Problems This chapter deals with problems whose weak formulation is endowed with a coercivity property. The key examples investigated henceforth are scalar ellip- tic PDEs, spectral problems associated with the Laplacian, and PDE systems derived from continuum mechanics. The goal is twofold: First, to set up a mathematical framework for well-posedness; then, to investigate conforming and non-conforming ¯nite element approximations based on Galerkin meth- ods. Error estimates are derived from the theoretical results of Chapters 1 and 2 and are illustrated numerically. The last section of this chapter is con- cerned with coercivity loss and is meant to be a transition to Chapters 4 and 5. 3.1 Scalar Elliptic PDEs: Theory Let be a domain in Rd. Consider a di®erential operator in the form L u = (σ u) + ¯ u + ¹u; (3.1) L ¡r¢ ¢r ¢r where σ, ¯, and ¹ are functions de¯ned over and taking their values in Rd;d, Rd, and R, respectively. Given a function f : R, consider the problem of ! ¯nding a function u : R such that ! u = f in ; L (3.2) u = g on @; ( B where the operator accounts for boundary conditions. The model problem (3.2) arises in severalB applications: (i) Heat transfer: u is the temperature, σ = · where · is the thermal conductivity, ¯ is the flow ¯eld, ¹ = 0, and fIis the externally supplied heat per unit volume. 112 Chapter 3. Coercive Problems (ii) Advection{di®usion: u is the concentration of a solute transported in a flow ¯eld ¯. The matrix σ models the solute di®usivity resulting from either molecular di®usion or turbulent mixing by the carrier flow. Solute production or destruction by chemical reaction is accounted for by the linear term ¹u, and the right-hand side f models ¯xed sources or sinks. Henceforth, the following assumptions are made on the data: f L2(), d;d d 2 σ [L1()] , ¯ [L1()] , ¯ L1(), and ¹ L1(). Furthermore, the2 operator is assumed2 to ber¢elliptic2 in the following2 sense: L De¯nition 3.1. The operator de¯ned in (3.1) is said to be elliptic if there L exists σ0 > 0 such that d d 2 » R ; σij »i»j σ0 » d a.e. in : (3.3) 8 2 ¸ k k i;j=1 X Equation (3.2) is then called an elliptic PDE. Example 3.2. A fundamental example of an elliptic operator is the Lapla- cian, = ¢, which is obtained for σ = , ¯ = 0, and ¹ = 0. L ¡ I ut 3.1.1 Review of boundary conditions and their weak formulation We ¯rst proceed formally and then specify the mathematical framework for the weak formulation. Homogeneous Dirichlet boundary condition. We want to enforce u = 0 on @. Multiplying the PDE u = f by a (su±ciently smooth) test function v vanishing at the boundary, inLtegrating over , and using the Green formula (σ u) v = v σ u v (n σ u); (3.4) ¡r¢ ¢r r ¢ ¢r ¡ ¢ ¢r Z Z Z@ yields v σ u + v(¯ u) + ¹uv = fv: r ¢ ¢r ¢r Z Z A possible regularity requirement on u and v for the integrals over to be meaningful is u H1() and v H1(): 2 2 Since u H1(), Theorem B.52 implies that u has a trace at the bound- 2 ary. Because of the boundary condition u @ = 0, the solution is sought in 1 1j H0 (). Test functions are also taken in H0 (), leading to the following weak formulation: 1 Seek u H0 () such that 2 1 (3.5) aσ;¯;¹(u; v) = fv; v H (); ½ 8 2 0 with the bilinear form R aσ;¯;¹(u; v) = v σ u + v(¯ u) + ¹uv: (3.6) r ¢ ¢r ¢r Z 3.1. Scalar Elliptic PDEs: Theory 113 Proposition 3.3. If u solves (3.5), then u = f a.e. in and u = 0 a.e. on @. L Proof. Let ' () and let u be a solution to (3.5). Hence, 2 D (σ u); ' 0; = σ u; ' 0; = ' σ u h¡r¢ ¢r iD D h ¢r r iD D r ¢ ¢r Z = (f ¯ u ¹u) '; ¡ ¢r ¡ Z 2 yielding u; ' 0; = f'. Owing to the density of () in L (), u = f in L2().hLTherefore,iD D u = f a.e. in . Moreover, Du = 0 a.e. on L@ by de¯nition of H1(); seeLR Theorem B.52. 0 tu Non-homogeneous Dirichlet boundary condition. We want to enforce u = g on @, where g : @ R is a given function. We assume that g ! 1 is su±ciently smooth so that there exists a lifting ug of g in H (), i.e., a 1 function ug H () such that ug = g on @; see 2.1.4. We obtain the weak formulation:2 x Seek u H1() such that 2 1 8 u = ug + Á; Á H0 (); (3.7) 2 1 <> aσ;¯;¹(Á; v) = fv aσ;¯;¹(ug; v); v H (): ¡ 8 2 0 > R1 Proposition: 3.4. Let g H 2 (@). If u solves (3.7), then u = f a.e. in and u = g a.e. on @. 2 L Proof. Similar to that of Proposition 3.3. tu When the operator is the Laplacian, (3.7) is called a Poisson problem. L Neumann boundary condition. Given a function g : @ R, we want to enforce n σ u = g on @. Note that in the case σ = ,!the Neumann ¢ ¢r I condition speci¯es the normal derivative of u since n u = @nu. Proceeding as before and using the Neumann condition in the surface¢r integral in (3.4) yields the weak formulation: Seek u H1() such that 2 1 (3.8) aσ;¯;¹(u; v) = fv + gv; v H (): ½ @ 8 2 Proposition 3.5. Let g L2(@R). If uR solves (3.8), then u = f a.e. in and n σ u = g a.e. on @2. L ¢ ¢r Proof. Taking test functions in () readily implies u = f a.e. in . There- 2 D L 1 fore, (σ u) L (). Corollary B.59 implies n σ u H 2 (@)0 = 1 ¡r¢ ¢r 2 ¢ ¢r 2 H¡ 2 (@) since 114 Chapter 3. Coercive Problems 1 2 Á H (@); n σ u; Á ¡ 1 1 = (σ u)uÁ + uÁ σ u; 8 2 h ¢ ¢r iH 2 ;H 2 ¡r¢ ¢r r ¢ ¢r Z Z 1 1 where uÁ H () is a lifting of Á in H (). Then, (3.8) yields 2 1 2 Á H (@); n σ u; Á ¡ 1 1 = gÁ; 8 2 h ¢ ¢r iH 2 ;H 2 Z@ 1 2 showing that n σ u = g in H ¡ 2 (@) and, therefore, in L (@) since g belongs to this space.¢ ¢r tu Mixed Dirichlet{Neumann boundary conditions. Consider a partition of the boundary in the form @ = @ @ . Impose a Dirichlet con- D [ N dition on @D and a Neumann condition on @N. If the Dirichlet condi- tion is non-homogeneous, assume that @D is smooth enough so that, for all 1 1 g H 2 (@D), there exists an extension g H 2 (@) such that g @ = g 2 2 j D and g 1 c g 1 uniformly in g. Then, using the lifting of g k kH 2 (@) · k kH 2 (@D) in H1(), one can assume that the Dirichlete condition is homogeneous.e The boundarye conditions are thus e u = 0 on @D; n σ u = g on @ ; ( ¢ ¢r N with a given function g : @N R. Proceeding as before, we split! the boundary integral in (3.4) into its con- tributions over @D and @N. Taking the solution and the test function in the functional space H1 () = u H1(); u = 0 on @ ; @D f 2 Dg the surface integral over @D vanishes. Furthermore, using the Neumann con- dition in the surface integral over @N yields the weak formulation: Seek u H1 () such that @D 2 1 (3.9) aσ;¯;¹(u; v) = fv + gv; v H (): ( @N 8 2 @D R R Proposition 3.6. Let @D @, assume meas(@D) > 0, and set @N = 2 ½ @ @D. Let g L (@N). If u solves (3.9), then u = f a.e. in , u = 0 a.e.non @ , and2 (n σ u) = g a.e. on @ . L D ¢ ¢r N Proof. Proceed as in the previous proofs. tu Robin boundary condition. Given two functions g; γ : @ R, we want to enforce γu+n σ u = g on @. Using this condition in the surface! integral in (3.4) yields the¢ w¢reak formulation: Seek u H1() such that 2 1 (3.10) aσ;¯;¹(u; v) + γuv = fv + gv; v H (): ½ @ @ 8 2 R R R 3.1. Scalar Elliptic PDEs: Theory 115 Problem V a(u; v) f(v) 1 Homogeneous Dirichlet H0 () aσ;¯;¹(u; v) fv 1 Neumann H () aσ;¯;¹(u; v) fvR + @ gv 1 Dirichlet{Neumann H@ () aσ;¯;¹(u; v) fv + gv D R R@N 1 Robin H () aσ;¯;¹(u; v) + @ γuv R fv +R @ gv Table 3.1. Weak formulation corresponding to the variousR boundaryR conditionsR for the second-order PDE (3.2). The bilinear form aσ;¯;¹(u; v) is de¯ned in (3.6). 2 Proposition 3.7. Let g L (@) and let γ L1(@). If u solves (3.10), then u = f a.e. in and2 γu + n σ u = g a.e.2 on @. L ¢ ¢r Proof. Proceed as in the previous proofs. tu Summary. Except for the non-homogeneous Dirichlet problem, all the prob- lems considered herein take the generic form: Seek u V such that 2 (3.11) a(u; v) = f(v); v V; ½ 8 2 where V is a Hilbert space satisfying H1() V H1(): 0 ½ ½ Moreover, a is a bilinear form de¯ned on V V , and f is a linear form de¯ned on V ; see Table 3.1.