Higher order numerical discretizations for exterior and biharmonic type PDEs

Abstract

A higher order numerical discretization technique based on Minimum Sobolev Norm (MSN) interpolation was introduced in our previous work. In this article, the discretization technique is presented as a tool to solve two hard classes of PDEs, namely, the exterior Laplace problem and the biharmonic problem. The exterior Laplace problem is compactified and the resultant near singular PDE is solved using this technique. This finite difference type method is then used to discretize and solve biharmonic type PDEs. A simple book keeping trick of using Ghost points is used to obtain a perfectly constrained discrete system. Numerical results such as discretization error, condition number estimate, and solution error are presented. For both classes of PDEs, variable coefficient examples on complicated geometries and irregular grids are considered. The method is seen to have high order of convergence in all these cases through numerical evidence. Perhaps for the first time, such a systematic higher order procedure for irregular grids and variable coefficient cases is now available. Though not discussed in the paper, the idea seems to be easily generalizable to finite element type techniques as well.