Aubin--Nitsche estimates are equivalent to compact embeddings (Q1770940)

The Aubin-Nitsche lemma, through a duality argument, proves superconvergence of a finite element method in a norm weaker than the energy norm. In the simplest case, it gives an improved \(L^2\) estimate, compared to the natural \(H^1\) norm. This estimate stems from a regularity theorem for the adjoint problem plus the optimal convergence of the Galerkin method. The author proves, at an abstract level, that the key to these superconvergence results is the compactness of the inclusion of the energy space into the space where one looks for an improved estimate.