Padé-parametric FEM approximation for fractional powers of elliptic operators on manifolds

Abstract: This paper focuses on numerical approximation for fractional powers of elliptic operators on $2$-d manifolds. Firstly, parametric finite element method is employed to discretize the original problem. We then approximate fractional powers of the discrete elliptic operator by the product of rational functions, each of which is a diagonal Pad\'e approximant for corresponding power function. Rigorous error analysis is carried out and sharp error bounds are presented which show that the scheme is robust for $\alpha\rightarrow 0^+$ and $\alpha \rightarrow 1^-$. The cost of the proposed algorithm is solving some elliptic problems. Since the approach is exponentially convergent with respect to the number of solves, it is very efficient. Some numerical tests are given to confirm our theoretical analysis and the robustness of the algorithm.