Numerical homogenization of elliptic PDEs with similar coefficients

We consider a sequence of elliptic partial differential equations (PDEs) with different but similar rapidly varying coefficients. Such sequences appear, for example, in splitting schemes for time-dependent problems (with one coefficient per time step) and in sample based stochastic integration of outputs from an elliptic PDE (with one coefficient per sample member). We propose a parallelizable algorithm based on Petrov-Galerkin localized orthogonal decomposition (PG-LOD) that adaptively (using computable and theoretically derived error indicators) recomputes the local corrector problems only where it improves accuracy. The method is illustrated in detail by an example of a time-dependent two-pase Darcy flow problem in three dimensions

On local Fourier analysis of multigrid methods for PDEs with jumping and random coefficients

In this paper, we propose a novel non-standard Local Fourier Analysis (LFA) variant for accurately predicting the multigrid convergence of problems with random and jumping coefficients. This LFA method is based on a specific basis of the Fourier space rather than the commonly used Fourier modes. To show the utility of this analysis, we consider, as an example, a simple cell-centered multigrid method for solving a steady-state single phase flow problem in a random porous medium. We successfully demonstrate the prediction capability of the proposed LFA using a number of challenging benchmark problems. The information provided by this analysis helps us to estimate a-priori the time needed for solving certain uncertainty quantification problems by means of a multigrid multilevel Monte Carlo method

Localized bases for finite dimensional homogenization approximations with non-separated scales and high-contrast

We construct finite-dimensional approximations of solution spaces of divergence form operators with $L^\infty$-coefficients. Our method does not rely on concepts of ergodicity or scale-separation, but on the property that the solution space of these operators is compactly embedded in $H^1$ if source terms are in the unit ball of $L^2$ instead of the unit ball of $H^{-1}$. Approximation spaces are generated by solving elliptic PDEs on localized sub-domains with source terms corresponding to approximation bases for $H^2$. The $H^1$-error estimates show that $\mathcal{O}(h^{-d})$-dimensional spaces with basis elements localized to sub-domains of diameter $\mathcal{O}(h^\alpha \ln \frac{1}{h})$ (with $\alpha \in [1/2,1)$) result in an $\mathcal{O}(h^{2-2\alpha})$ accuracy for elliptic, parabolic and hyperbolic problems. For high-contrast media, the accuracy of the method is preserved provided that localized sub-domains contain buffer zones of width $\mathcal{O}(h^\alpha \ln \frac{1}{h})$ where the contrast of the medium remains bounded. The proposed method can naturally be generalized to vectorial equations (such as elasto-dynamics).Comment: Accepted for publication in SIAM MM

A multi-resolution, non-parametric, Bayesian framework for identification of spatially-varying model parameters

This paper proposes a hierarchical, multi-resolution framework for the identification of model parameters and their spatially variability from noisy measurements of the response or output. Such parameters are frequently encountered in PDE-based models and correspond to quantities such as density or pressure fields, elasto-plastic moduli and internal variables in solid mechanics, conductivity fields in heat diffusion problems, permeability fields in fluid flow through porous media etc. The proposed model has all the advantages of traditional Bayesian formulations such as the ability to produce measures of confidence for the inferences made and providing not only predictive estimates but also quantitative measures of the predictive uncertainty. In contrast to existing approaches it utilizes a parsimonious, non-parametric formulation that favors sparse representations and whose complexity can be determined from the data. The proposed framework in non-intrusive and makes use of a sequence of forward solvers operating at various resolutions. As a result, inexpensive, coarse solvers are used to identify the most salient features of the unknown field(s) which are subsequently enriched by invoking solvers operating at finer resolutions. This leads to significant computational savings particularly in problems involving computationally demanding forward models but also improvements in accuracy. It is based on a novel, adaptive scheme based on Sequential Monte Carlo sampling which is embarrassingly parallelizable and circumvents issues with slow mixing encountered in Markov Chain Monte Carlo schemes

On local Fourier analysis of multigrid methods for PDEs with jumping and random coefficients

In this paper, we propose a novel nonstandard local Fourier analysis (LFA) variant for accurately predicting the multigrid convergence of problems with random and jumping coefficients. This LFA method is based on a specific basis of the Fourier space rather than the commonly used Fourier modes. To show the utility of this analysis, we consider, as an example, a simple cell-centered multigrid method for solving a steady-state single phase flow problem in a random porous medium. We successfully demonstrate the predictive capability of the proposed LFA using a number of challenging benchmark problems. The information provided by this analysis could be used to estimate a priori the time needed for solving certain uncertainty quantification problems by means of a multigrid multilevel Monte Carlo method

Numerical homogenization for nonlinear strongly monotone problems

In this work we introduce and analyze a new multiscale method for strongly nonlinear monotone equations in the spirit of the Localized Orthogonal Decomposition. A problem-adapted multiscale space is constructed by solving linear local fine-scale problems which is then used in a generalized finite element method. The linearity of the fine-scale problems allows their localization and, moreover, makes the method very efficient to use. The new method gives optimal a priori error estimates up to linearization errors. The results neither require structural assumptions on the coefficient such as periodicity or scale separation nor higher regularity of the solution. The effect of different linearization strategies is discussed in theory and practice. Several numerical examples including stationary Richards equation confirm the theory and underline the applicability of the method