On the approximability and the selection of particle shape functions (Q1434054)

Particle methods, also known as meshless methods, have become of interest in the numerical solution of elliptic differential equations. Moving least square particle methods, reproducing kernel particle methods and combinations of them are considered. The authors distinguish those methods that are nearly translation invariant in the interior and those which have not this property. The order of convergence depends on the fact which polynomials are reproduced by the interpolation operator, but the authors note that this property does not indicate the actual order for all classes of shape functions. The literature of the finite element community is cited, but not that by people from approximation theory.