Natural discretizations for the divergence, gradient, and curl on logically rectangular grids (Q679265)

The aim of a series of papers starting with the present one is the derivation of a discrete vector and tensor calculus. This calculus is derived directly from underlying physical principles and is used to construct robust and accurate finite difference expressions on logically rectangular grids. In the present work the authors construct finite difference analogues of the divergence, curl and rotation operators. It is shown that these discrete analogues satisfy certain compatibility conditions which are shared by the continuous operators.