Fully discrete best approximation type estimates in $L^{\infty}(I;L^2(\Omega)^d)$ for finite element discretizations of the transient Stokes equations

Abstract

In this article we obtain an optimal best approximation type result for fully discrete approximations of the transient Stokes problem. For the time discretization we use the discontinuous Galerkin method and for the spatial discretization we use standard finite elements for the Stokes problem satisfying the discrete inf-sup condition. The analysis uses the technique of discrete maximal parabolic regularity. The results require only natural assumptions on the data and do not assume any additional smoothness of the solutions.