Towards discrete Velte decompositions and narrow bounds for inf-sup constants (Q1972512)

For the Stokes problem with zero boundary conditions, the stable solvability depends on the well known inf-sup condition [cf. \textit{F. Brezzi} [Revue Franc. Automat. Inform. Rech. Operat. 8, R-2, 129-151 (1974; Zbl 0338.90047); \textit{I. Babuska}, Numer. Math. 20, 179-192 (1973; Zbl 0258.65108); \textit{O. A. Ladyzhenshaya}, The mathematical theory of viscous incompressible flow (1961; Zbl 0106.39401)]. For bounded regions \(\Omega\subset R^N\) \((N= 2,3)\), the author recalls the decomposition \(H^1_0(\Omega)^N= \text{ker div}\oplus \text{ker rot}\oplus V\), where the three subspaces are orthogonal with respect to the scalar product \[ (u,v)_1= \sum^N_{j,k= 1} \int_\Omega\partial u_j/\partial x_k\partial v_j/\partial x_kdx. \] The author exhibits the close relation between the space \(V\) and the inf-sup condition, and he presents narrow two-sided bounds of inf-sup constants for some plane domains with corners. In finite element spaces, there is in general no analogous decomposition. In the case of staggered grid approximation for the Stokes problem on a unit square, however, the author can give all details of a discrete decomposition. He also gives bounds of discrete inf-sup constants and presents numerical results which would have been difficult to obtain without the discrete decomposition.