We introduce a new method, the Local Monge Parametrizations (LMP) method, to
approximate tensor fields on general surfaces given by a collection of local
parametrizations, e.g.~as in finite element or NURBS surface representations.
Our goal is to use this method to solve numerically tensor-valued partial
differential equations (PDE) on surfaces. Previous methods use scalar
potentials to numerically describe vector fields on surfaces, at the expense of
requiring higher-order derivatives of the approximated fields and limited to
simply connected surfaces, or represent tangential tensor fields as tensor
fields in 3D subjected to constraints, thus increasing the essential number of
degrees of freedom. In contrast, the LMP method uses an optimal number of
degrees of freedom to represent a tensor, is general with regards to the
topology of the surface, and does not increase the order of the PDEs governing
the tensor fields. The main idea is to construct maps between the element
parametrizations and a local Monge parametrization around each node. We test
the LMP method by approximating in a least-squares sense different vector and
tensor fields on simply connected and genus-1 surfaces. Furthermore, we apply
the LMP method to two physical models on surfaces, involving a tension-driven
flow (vector-valued PDE) and nematic ordering (tensor-valued PDE). The LMP
method thus solves the long-standing problem of the interpolation of tensors on
general surfaces with an optimal number of degrees of freedom.Comment: 16 pages, 6 figure