Numerical computation of a Cauchy problem for Laplace's equation (Q2767757)

The paper is concerned with a numerical method for solving the Cauchy problem for the Laplacian in a Lipschitz domain \(\Omega \in {\mathbb R}^2\), where mixed Dirichlet-Neumann conditions are prescribed on an open arc \(\Gamma\) of the boundary \(\partial \Omega\) of \(\Omega\). The problem is known to be ill-posed. In a preliminary step the given problem is transformed into the weak form of a boundary integral equation for the normal derivative of the exact solution. The numerical method is set up and analysed for the case that \(\partial \Omega \backslash \Gamma\) is a section of a coordinate axis. The method is of Galerkin type using polynomials as trial functions supplemented with a \(L_{2}\)-minimum norm constraint for the approximate solution. The authors prove error estimates and present some numerical examples.