Stability and error analysis for a diffuse interface approach to an advection-diffusion equation on a moving surface (Q1651009)

The authors present and analyze a fully discrete finite element scheme to approximate a parabolic partial differential equation on a moving surface. The considered equation has applications in fluid dynamics and materials science, such as the transport and diffusion of surfactants on a fluid/fluid interface, or diffusion-induced grain boundary motion. The scheme is based on a diffuse interface approach that involves a level set description of the moving surface. Stability and error bounds in the natural norms are proved under some conditions on the spatial grid size, the time step and the interface width. Some numerical tests are presented to support the theoretical results.