Couplings of mixed finite element and weak Galerkin methods for elliptic problems (Q2354205)

The author introduces two different schemes to couple the mixed finite element method (MFE) with weak Galerkin methods (WG) for elliptic problems. The idea behind this coupling is to subdivide the domain in such a way that regular subdomains with low variability of the fields are solved by MFE while WG is applied on subdomains with unstructured grids and highly variable fields. In this way one can combine the good performance of MFE with the high accuracy and flexibility of WG wherever required. The first coupling scheme connects the subdomains directly via pressure and flux. The second coupling is based on a mortar method applied to the interface: the interface of the subdomains is decomposed using separate finite element discretizations. The equality of the solution on the interfaces of this partition is then enforced by Lagrange multipliers. This method imposes weak continuity of pressure and flux on the interface of the subdomains. The author proves for both coupling schemes the existence and uniqueness of a solution and a priori error estimates.