Singularities in phase separation models: a spectral element approach for the nonlocal Cahn-Hilliard equation

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Main Authors: Miniguano-Trujillo, Andrés, Poiatti, Andrea, Grasselli, Maurizio, Goddard, Benjamin, Pearson, John
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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author Miniguano-Trujillo, Andrés
Poiatti, Andrea
Grasselli, Maurizio
Goddard, Benjamin
Pearson, John
author_facet Miniguano-Trujillo, Andrés
Poiatti, Andrea
Grasselli, Maurizio
Goddard, Benjamin
Pearson, John
contents The nonlocal Cahn-Hilliard equation provides a natural extension of the classical model for phase separation by incorporating long-range interactions through a singular convolution kernel. While this formulation admits a rich existence and regularity theory, its numerical approximation remains challenging: discretisation of the nonlocal term leads to dense operators, and the singularity of the kernel requires special treatment in collocation-based schemes. In this work, we develop an efficient and error-controlled numerical framework for the nonlocal Cahn-Hilliard system with constant mobility, logarithmic potential, Newtonian interaction kernel, and no-flux boundary conditions. Our approach is based on a pseudospectral multishape method that accurately approximates the action of singular convolution operators. We present high-resolution numerical solutions for this nonlocal system of equations that can be achieved with limited computational resources.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2604_19521
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Singularities in phase separation models: a spectral element approach for the nonlocal Cahn-Hilliard equation
Miniguano-Trujillo, Andrés
Poiatti, Andrea
Grasselli, Maurizio
Goddard, Benjamin
Pearson, John
Numerical Analysis
Analysis of PDEs
The nonlocal Cahn-Hilliard equation provides a natural extension of the classical model for phase separation by incorporating long-range interactions through a singular convolution kernel. While this formulation admits a rich existence and regularity theory, its numerical approximation remains challenging: discretisation of the nonlocal term leads to dense operators, and the singularity of the kernel requires special treatment in collocation-based schemes. In this work, we develop an efficient and error-controlled numerical framework for the nonlocal Cahn-Hilliard system with constant mobility, logarithmic potential, Newtonian interaction kernel, and no-flux boundary conditions. Our approach is based on a pseudospectral multishape method that accurately approximates the action of singular convolution operators. We present high-resolution numerical solutions for this nonlocal system of equations that can be achieved with limited computational resources.
title Singularities in phase separation models: a spectral element approach for the nonlocal Cahn-Hilliard equation
topic Numerical Analysis
Analysis of PDEs
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2604.19521