A posteriori error estimates of semidiscrete mixed finite element methods for quadratic optimal control problems involving linear parabolic equations are developed. The state and co-state are discretised by Raviart-Thomas mixed finite element spaces of order k, and the control is approximated by piecewise polynomials of order k (k ≥ 0). We derive our a posteriori error estimates for the state and the control approximations via a mixed elliptic reconstruction method. These estimates seem to be unavailable elsewhere in the literature, although they represent an important step towards developing reliable adaptive mixed finite element approximation schemes for the control problem.

In this article we develop a posteriori error estimates for second orderlinear elliptic problems with point sources in two- and three-dimensional domains. Weprove a global upper bound and a local lower bound for the error measured in a weightedSobolev space. The weight considered is a (positive) power of the distance to the supportof the Dirac delta source term, and belongs to the Muckenhoupt’s class A2. The theoryhinges on local approximation properties of either Clément or Scott–Zhang interpolationoperators, without need of modifications, and makes use of weighted estimates forfractional integrals and maximal functions. Numerical experiments with an adaptivealgorithm yield optimal meshes and very good effectivity indices.

This paper studies convergence analysis of an adaptive finite element algorithm for numerical estimation of some unknown distributed flux in a stationary heat conduction system, namely recovering the unknown Neumann data on interior inaccessible boundary using Dirichlet measurement data on outer accessible boundary. Besides global upper and lower bounds established in [23], a posteriori local upper bounds and quasi-orthogonality results concerning the discretization errors of the state and adjoint variables are derived. Convergence and quasi-optimality of the proposed adaptive algorithm are rigorously proved. Numerical results are presented to illustrate the quasi-optimality of the proposed adaptive method.

A cell conservative flux recovery technique is developed here for vertex-centered finite volume methods of second order elliptic equations. It is based on solving a local Neumann problem on each control volume using mixed finite element methods. The recovered flux is used to construct a constant free a posteriori error estimator which is proven to be reliable and efficient. Some numerical tests are presented to confirm the theoretical results. Our method works for general order finite volume methods and the recovery-based and residual-based a posteriori error estimators is the first result on a posteriori error estimators for high order finite volume methods.

This paper is concerned with recovery type a posteriori error estimates of fully discrete finite element approximation for general convex parabolic optimal control problems with pointwise control constraints. The time discretization is based on the backward Euler method. The state and the adjoint state are approximated by piece-wise linear functions and the control is approximated by piecewise constant functions. We derive the superconvergence properties of finite element solutions. By using the superconvergence results, we obtain recovery type a posteriori error estimates. Some numerical examples are presented to verify the theoretical results.

A Raviart-Thomas mixed finite element discretization for general bilinear optimal control problems is discussed. The state and co-state are approximated by lowest order Raviart-Thomas mixed finite element spaces, and the control is discretized by piecewise constant functions. A posteriori error estimates are derived for both the coupled state and the control solutions, and the error estimators can be used to construct more efficient adaptive finite element approximations for bilinear optimal control problems. An adaptive algorithm to guide the mesh refinement is also provided. Finally, we present a numerical example to demonstrate our theoretical results.

In this paper, we discuss the a posteriori error estimates of the mixed finite element method for quadratic optimal control problems governed by linear parabolic equations. The state and the co-state are discretized by the high order Raviart-Thomas mixed finite element spaces and the control is approximated by piecewise constant functions. We derive a posteriori error estimates for both the state and the control approximation. Such estimates, which are apparently not available in the literature, are an important step towards developing reliable adaptive mixed finite element approximation schemes for the control problem.


In this paper, a dynamic viscoelastic problem is numerically studied. The variationalproblem is written in terms of the velocity field and it leads to a parabolic linearvariational equation. A fully discrete scheme is introduced by using thefinite element method to approximate the spatial variable andan Euler scheme to discretize time derivatives. An a priori error estimatesresult is recalled, from which the linear convergence is derived under suitableregularity conditions. Then, an a posteriorierror analysis is provided, extending some preliminary resultsobtained in the study of the heat equation and quasistatic viscoelastic problems.Upper and lower error bounds are obtained. Finally, some two-dimensionalnumerical simulations are presented to show the behavior of the error estimators.

In this paper we derive a posteriori error estimates for theheat equation. The time discretizationstrategy is based on a θ-method and the mesh used for eachtime-slab is independent of the mesh used for the previoustime-slab. The novelty of this paper is an upper bound for theerror caused by the coarsening of the mesh used for computing thesolution in the previous time-slab. The technique applied forderiving this upper bound is independent of the problem and can begeneralized to other time dependent problems.

We derive a residual a posteriori error estimates for the subscales stabilization ofconvection diffusion equation. The estimator yields upper bound on the error which isglobal and lower bound that is local

We present a new method for generating a d-dimensional simplicial meshthat minimizes the L p -norm,p > 0, of the interpolation error or its gradient. The methoduses edge-based error estimates to build a tensor metric. We describe and analyze thebasic steps of our method

We derive a posteriori error estimates for singularlyperturbed reaction–diffusion problems which yield a guaranteedupper bound on the discretization error and are fully and easilycomputable. Moreover, they are also locally efficient and robust inthe sense that they represent local lower bounds for the actualerror, up to a generic constant independent in particular of thereaction coefficient. We present our results in the framework ofthe vertex-centered finite volume method but their nature isgeneral for any conforming method, like the piecewise linear finiteelement one. Our estimates are based on a H(div)-conformingreconstruction of the diffusive flux in the lowest-orderRaviart–Thomas–Nédélec space linked with mesh dual to the originalsimplicial one, previously introduced by the last author in thepure diffusion case. They also rely on elaborated Poincaré,Friedrichs, and trace inequalities-based auxiliary estimatesdesigned to cope optimally with the reaction dominance. In order tobring down the ratio of the estimated and actual overall energyerror as close as possible to the optimal value of one,independently of the size of the reaction coefficient, we finallydevelop the ideas of local minimizations of the estimators by localmodifications of the reconstructed diffusive flux. The numericalexperiments presented confirm the guaranteed upper bound,robustness, and excellent efficiency of the derived estimates.

This paper is concerned with the unilateral contact problem in linear elasticity. We define two a posteriori error estimators of residual type to evaluate the accuracy of the mixed finite element approximation of the contact problem.Upper and lower bounds of the discretization error are proved forboth estimators and several computations are performed toillustrate the theoretical results.

In this work we derive a posteriori error estimates basedon equations residuals for the heat equation with discontinuousdiffusivity coefficients. The estimates are based on a fully discretescheme based on conforming finite elements in each time slab andon the A-stable θ-scheme with 1/2 ≤ θ ≤ 1.Following remarks of [Picasso, Comput. Methods Appl. Mech. Engrg. 167 (1998) 223–237; Verfürth, Calcolo40 (2003) 195–212] it is easyto identify a time-discretization error-estimatorand a space-discretization error-estimator. In this work we introduce a similarsplitting for the data-approximation error in time and in space. Assuming the quasi-monotonicity condition [Dryja et al., Numer. Math.72 (1996) 313–348; Petzoldt, Adv. Comput. Math.16 (2002) 47–75] we have upper and lower boundswhose ratio is independent of any meshsize, timestep, problem parameter and its jumps.

We analyze residual and hierarchicala posteriori error estimates for nonconforming finite elementapproximations of elliptic problems with variable coefficients.We consider a finite volume box scheme equivalent toa nonconforming mixed finite element method in a Petrov–Galerkinsetting. We prove thatall the estimators yield global upper and local lower bounds for the discretizationerror. Finally, we present results illustrating the efficiency of theestimators, for instance, in the simulation of Darcy flows throughheterogeneous porous media.

The time-dependent Stokes equations in two- or three-dimensional bounded domains are discretized by the backward Euler scheme in time and finite elements in space. The error of this discretization is bounded globally from above and locally from below by the sum of two types of computable error indicators, the first one being linked to the time discretization and the second one to the space discretization.

Phase-field models, the simplest of which is Allen–Cahn's problem, are characterized by a small parameter ε that dictatesthe interface thickness. These models naturally call for mesh adaptation techniques, which rely on a posteriori error control. However, their error analysis usually deals with the underlying non-monotone nonlinearity via a Gronwall argument which leads to an exponential dependence on ε-2. Using an energy argument combined with a topological continuation argument and a spectral estimate, we establish an a posteriori error control result with only a low order polynomial dependence in ε-1. Our result is applicable to any conforming discretization technique that allows for a posteriori residual estimation. Residual estimators for an adaptive finite element scheme are derived to illustrate the theory.

For a nonconforming finite element approximation of an elliptic model problem, we propose a posteriori error estimates in the energy norm which use as an additive term the “post-processing error” between the original nonconforming finite element solution and an easy computable conforming approximation of that solution.Thus, for the error analysis, the existing theory from the conformingcase can be used together with some simple additional arguments.As an essential point, the property is exploited that the nonconformingfinite element space contains as a subspace a conforming finite element space of first order. This property is fulfilled for many knownnonconforming spaces. We prove local lower and global upper a posteriori error estimates for an enhanced error measure which is the discretization error in the discrete energy norm plus the error of the best representation of the exact solution by a function in the conforming space used for thepost-processing. We demonstrate that the idea to use a computed conforming approximation ofthe nonconforming solution can be applied also to derive an a posteriorierror estimate for a linear functional of the solution which representssome quantity of physical interest.

This paper presents the numerical analysis for a variational formulation of rate-independent phase transformations in elastic solids due to Mielke et al. The new model itself suggests an implicit time-discretization which is combined with thefinite element method in space. A priori error estimates are established for the quasioptimal spatial approximation of the stress fieldwithin one time-step. A posteriorierror estimates motivate an adaptive mesh-refining algorithm for efficient discretization. The proposed scheme enables numerical simulations which show that the model allows for hysteresis.

This paper is devoted to the study of a posteriori error estimates for the scalar nonlinear convection-diffusion-reaction equation $c_t + \nabla \cdot ( {\bf u}f(c)) - \nabla \cdot (D \nabla c) + \lambda c = 0$ .The estimates for the error between the exact solution and an upwind finite volume approximation to the solution are derived in the L 1-norm,independent of the diffusion parameter D. The resulting a posteriori error estimate is used to define an grid adaptive solution algorithm for the finite volume scheme. Finally numerical experiments underline the applicability of the theoretical results.