A unifying theory of a posteriori error control for nonconforming finite element methods (Q2454711)

Residual-based a posteriori error estimates for nonconforming elements contain extra terms in comparison to the conforming case, e.g., jumps of tangential components. A unified framework is the topic. The paper starts with mixed methods and assumes that there is an associated space \(V_h^{nc}\) of nonconforming elements. Another hypothesis is the existence of a space \(V_h^c\) of conforming elements for which an interpolation operator of Clément type and a mapping \(V_h^c\to V_h^{nc}\) exist. Three tables contain lists of examples to which the theory applies. The efficiency of the estimators is not treated in this general framework.