A Least-Squares Weak Galerkin Method for the Biharmonic Cauchy Problem

Abstract

We develop a least-squares weak Galerkin (LS-WG) finite element method for the Cauchy problem of the biharmonic equation. The proposed approach reformulates the fourth-order equation as a coupled system of two second-order equations, which are discretized using discrete weak Laplacian operators on weak finite element spaces. The resulting least-squares formulation yields a symmetric positive definite linear system, thereby eliminating the discrete inf-sup condition required by mixed finite element methods while avoiding the construction of globally $C^1$-conforming finite element spaces. Furthermore, the weak Galerkin framework naturally accommodates general polygonal meshes, offering considerable flexibility in mesh generation and approximation. Under the assumption that the continuous biharmonic Cauchy problem admits a unique solution, we establish the uniqueness of the discrete LS-WG solution and derive optimal-order error estimates in a discrete energy norm. Numerical experiments confirm the theoretical convergence rates and demonstrate the accuracy, robustness, and effectiveness of the proposed method.