Optimal Local Error Estimates for Finite Element Methods with Measure-Valued Sources

Abstract

We study finite element approximations of second-order elliptic problems with measure-valued right-hand sides supported on lower-dimensional sets. The exact solution generally lacks $H^1$-regularity due to the source singularity, which limits global convergence rates of numerical methods. Using a very weak solution framework, we establish well-posedness and global error estimates for standard Lagrange finite element methods on Lipschitz polyhedral/polygonal domains. By using interior estimates techniques, we prove optimal local $L^2$- and $H^1$-error estimates in subdomains that are strictly separated from the support of the measure. Extensive numerical experiments are provided to verify the theoretical results. These results show that for Lagrange FEMs solving elliptic problems with singular right-hand sides, the loss of global convergence is purely local, and that optimal convergence rates still hold away from the singular source.