Optimal-order finite element approximations to variable-coefficient two-sided space-fractional advection-reaction-diffusion equations in three space dimensions (Q2227723)

Finite element approximations for the general variable-coefficient two-sided space-fractional advection-reaction-diffusion equations in three space dimensions are analyzed. It is known that the corresponding bilinear form may loose coercivity due to the variable diffusivity coefficient. By proving the weak coercivity of the bilinear form via the Gårding's inequality, optimal-order error estimates of the FEM are derived under more relaxed assumptions on the coefficients than those in previous works. Numerical experiments demonstrate the fidelity and accuracy of the theoretical results. The method can also be applied to the time-dependent version of the general space-fractional differential equations.