On the spectral and approximating properties of cubic finite-element approximations of the Laplace and first-derivative operators: The periodic case (Q5954745)

The authors investigate the properties of the eigenvalues and eigenfunctions (EFs) of the finite-element (FE) approximations of the Laplace and first-derivative operators based on the use of Hermitian cubic elements. A number of unexpected phenomena is discovered, for example, a substantional loss of accuracy of the approximate EFs in the middle part of the spectrum for the FE approximation of the Laplace operator, whereas a similar phenomenon is not observed for the FE approximation of the first derivative.