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Main Authors: Yang, Peng, Zhang, Zhimin
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
Subjects:
Online Access:https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.21368
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author Yang, Peng
Zhang, Zhimin
author_facet Yang, Peng
Zhang, Zhimin
contents This paper develops a unified theory of natural superconvergence points for polynomial spline approximations to second-order elliptic problems. Beginning with the one-dimensional case, we establish that when a point $x_0$ is a local symmetric center of the partition, the numerical error $(u-u_h)^{(s)}(x_0)$ exhibits superconvergence whenever the polynomial degree $k$ and the derivative order $s$ share the same parity. In particular, for the smoothest spline (B-spline) solution, the abundance of superconvergence points allows us to construct asymptotic expansion of the error within the element that fully characterize all superconvergence points, for both function values and derivatives. The theoretical framework is then extended to higher-dimensional settings on simplicial and tensor-product meshes, and the essential conclusions are preserved, with one-dimensional derivatives generalized to mixed derivatives. Numerical experiments demonstrate that superconvergence persists even in extremely localized symmetric regions, revealing that superconvergence points are both readily attainable and follow systematic distribution patterns.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2601_21368
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Natural superconvergence points for splines
Yang, Peng
Zhang, Zhimin
Numerical Analysis
65N12, 65N15, 65N30
This paper develops a unified theory of natural superconvergence points for polynomial spline approximations to second-order elliptic problems. Beginning with the one-dimensional case, we establish that when a point $x_0$ is a local symmetric center of the partition, the numerical error $(u-u_h)^{(s)}(x_0)$ exhibits superconvergence whenever the polynomial degree $k$ and the derivative order $s$ share the same parity. In particular, for the smoothest spline (B-spline) solution, the abundance of superconvergence points allows us to construct asymptotic expansion of the error within the element that fully characterize all superconvergence points, for both function values and derivatives. The theoretical framework is then extended to higher-dimensional settings on simplicial and tensor-product meshes, and the essential conclusions are preserved, with one-dimensional derivatives generalized to mixed derivatives. Numerical experiments demonstrate that superconvergence persists even in extremely localized symmetric regions, revealing that superconvergence points are both readily attainable and follow systematic distribution patterns.
title Natural superconvergence points for splines
topic Numerical Analysis
65N12, 65N15, 65N30
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.21368