Fast evaluation of singular BEM integrals based on tensor approximations (Q443849)

In boundary element methods (BEMs) one often is required to evaluate integrals of the form \[ \displaystyle\int_{\sigma}\int_{\tau}\varphi(x)k(x,y)\psi(y)dydx, \] where \(\sigma,\tau\subset \Gamma\) are boundary elements on the boundary \(\Gamma:=\partial\Omega\) of a domain \(\Omega\subset R^l\) \((l=2,3)\) and \(k:\mathbb R^l\times \mathbb R^l\to \mathbb R\) is a kernel function that has a singularity at \(x=y\) and is analytic elsewhere. In this paper, the author proposes a new method for the fast evaluation of integrals stemming from boundary element methods including discretisations of the classical single and double layer potential operators. The key idea behind this new approach is the investigation of functions of the type \[ f(a):=\displaystyle\int_{\sigma(a)}\int_{\tau(a)}\varphi(x)k(x,y)\psi(y)dydx, \] where \(a\in \mathbb R^d\) is a parameter tuple describing the domains \(\sigma(a)\) and \(\tau(a)\). The function \(f\) is smooth in a \(d\)-dimensional box. A standard interpolation of \(f\) by polynomials leads to a \(d\)-dimensional tensor which is given by the values of \(f\) at the interpolation points. This tensor may be approximated in a low rank tensor format like the (CP) format or the \({\mathcal H}\)-Tucker format. The tensor approximation has to be done only once and allows us to evaluate interpolants in \({\mathcal O}(dr(m+1))\) operations in the (CP) format, or \({\mathcal O}(dk^3+dk(m+1))\) operations in the \({\mathcal H}\)-Tucker format, where \(m\) denotes the interpolation order and the ranks \(r,k\) are small integers. The author demonstrates that highly accurate integral values can be obtained at very moderate costs. Finally, the potential of the new approach is illustrated by a number of numerical examples.