Efficient finite-dimensional solution of initial value problems in infinite-dimensional Banach spaces

Abstract

We deal with the approximate solution of initial value problems in infinite-dimensional Banach spaces with a Schauder basis. We only allow finite-dimensional algorithms acting in the spaces $\rr^N$, with varying $N$. The error of such algorithms depends on two parameters: the truncation parameters $N$ and a discretization parameter $n$. For a class of $C^r$ right-hand side functions, we define an algorithm with varying $N$, based on possibly non-uniform mesh, and we analyse its error and cost. For constant $N$, we show a matching (up to a constant) lower bound on the error of any algorithm in terms of $N$ and $n$, as $N,n\to \infty$. We stress that in the standard error analysis the dimension $N$ is fixed, and the dependence on $N$ is usually hidden in error coefficient. For a certain model of cost, for many cases of interest, we show tight (up to a constant) upper and lower bounds on the minimal cost of computing an $\e$-approximation to the solution (the $\e$-complexity of the problem). The results are illustrated by an example of the initial value problem in the weighted $\ell_p$ space ($1\leq p<\infty$).