Wavelet approximation methods for pseudodifferential equations. I: Stability and convergence (Q1323470)

This is the first of two papers which are concerned with generalized Petrov-Galerkin schemes for elliptic periodic pseudodifferential equations in \(\mathbb{R}^ n\) covering classical Galerkin methods, collocation, and quasi-interpolation. These methods are based on a general setting of multiresolution analysis, i.e., of sequences of nested spaces which are generated by refinable functions. In this part we develop a general stability and convergence theory for such a framework which recovers and extends many previously studied special cases. The key to the analysis is a local principle due to the second author. Its applicability relies here on the validity of a sufficiently general version of a so called discrete commutator property. This property is established for the present general setting by proving certain super- convergence results for the projectors defining the numerical schemes. These results provide important prerequisites for developing and analysing in a second paper [Wavelet approximation methods. II: Matrix compression and fast solution, Adv. Comput. Math. (to appear)] methods for the fast solution of the resulting linear systems. These methods are based on compressing the stiffness matrices relative to wavelet bases associated with the underlying multiresolution analysis.