Adaptive Modified Weak Galerkin Method for Obstacle Problem

Abstract

This article introduces a novel residual-based a posteriori error estimators for the Modified Weak Galerkin (MWG) finite element method applied to the obstacle problem. To the best of the author's knowledge, this work represents the first integration of the MWG method into an adaptive finite element framework for variational inequalities. The proposed error estimators is rigorously proven to be both reliable and efficient in quantifying the approximation error, measured in a natural energy norm. A key aspect of the analysis involves decomposing the discrete solution into conforming and non-conforming components, which plays a central role in the error estimation process. Numerical experiments are conducted to validate the theoretical findings, demonstrating the reliability and efficiency of the proposed error estimator.