An energy-stable minimal deformation rate scheme for mean curvature flow and surface diffusion (Q6876876)

In this paper, a new parametric finite element method (FEM) is proposed for simulating the evolution of curves and surfaces under mean curvature flow and surface diffusion, on closed and open surfaces with moving contact lines or points. The proposed method preserves energy stability as in the BGN method [\textit{J. W. Barrett} et al., J. Comput. Phys. 227, No. 9, 4281--4307 (2008; Zbl 1145.65068)]. Numerical simulations demonstrate the advantages of the proposed approach on benchmark problems involving both closed and open surfaces. Several numerical examples are provided to verify the optimal temporal and spatial convergence rates, energy preservation and to illustrate the robustness of the proposed method in sustaining high-quality meshes for small time step sizes.