A Higher Order Unfitted Space-Time Finite Element Method for Coupled Surface-Bulk problems

Abstract

We present a higher order space-time unfitted finite element method for convection-diffusion problems on coupled (surface and bulk) domains. In that way, we combine a method suggested by Heimann, Lehrenfeld, Preu{\ss} (SIAM J. Sci. Comput. 45(2), 2023, B139 - B165) for the bulk case with a method suggested by Sass, Reusken (Comput. Math. Appl. 146(15), 2023, 253-270) for the surface case. The geometry is allowed to change with time, and the higher order discrete approximation of this geometry is ensured by a time-dependent isoparametric mapping. The space-time discretisation approach allows for straightforward handling of arbitrary high orders. In that way, we also generalise results of Hansbo, Larson, Zahedi (Comput. Methods Appl. Mech. Engrg. 307, 2016, 96-116) to higher orders. The convergence of the proposed higher order discretisations is confirmed numerically.