Numerical approximation of elliptic interface problems via isoparametric finite element methods

This paper is concerned with the numerical approximation of elliptic interface problems via isoparametric finite element methods. First, a convergence analysis is carried which asserts that optimal rates of convergence are recovered in both the energy and the L 2 –norms. Subsequently, the efficiency of isoparametric finite elements for the problem at hand is also assessed via numerical experiments. Results both with smooth and piecewise regular interfaces are presented and discussed. The numerical predictions corroborate the theoretical results and they also indicate that second-order convergence is achieved in the L00-norm. Comparisons between isoparametric finite elements, Lagrangian finite elements and the Immersed Interface Method are also performed