WIAS Preprint No. 1260, (2007)

Convergence of a finite volume scheme to the eigenvalues of a Schrödinger operator



Authors

  • Koprucki, Thomas
    ORCID: 0000-0001-6235-9412
  • Eymard, Robert
  • Fuhrmann, Jürgen
    ORCID: 0000-0003-4432-2434

2010 Mathematics Subject Classification

  • 65N25 65N30 81Q10

Keywords

  • Schrödinger operator, eigenvalues, finite volume schemes.

DOI

10.20347/WIAS.PREPRINT.1260

Abstract

We consider the approximation of a Schrödinger eigenvalue problem arising from the modeling of semiconductor nanostructures by a finite volume method in a bounded domain $OmegasubsetR^d$. In order to prove its convergence, a framework for finite dimensional approximations to inner products in the Sobolev space $H^1_0(Omega)$ is introduced which allows to apply well known results from spectral approximation theory. This approach is used to obtain convergence results for a classical finite volume scheme for isotropic problems based on two point fluxes, and for a finite volume scheme for anisotropic problems based on the consistent reconstruction of nodal fluxes. In both cases, for two- and three-dimensional domains we are able to prove first order convergence of the eigenvalues if the corresponding eigenfunctions belong to $H^2(Omega)$. The construction of admissible meshes for finite volume schemes using the Delaunay-Voronoï method is discussed. As numerical examples, a number of one-, two- and three-dimensional problems relevant to the modeling of semiconductor nanostructures is presented. In order to obtain analytical eigenvalues for these problems, a matching approach is used. To these eigenvalues, and to recently published highly accurate eigenvalues for the Laplacian in the L-shape domain, the results of the implemented numerical method are compared. In general, for piecewise $H^2$ regular eigenfunctions, second order convergence is observed experimentally.

Download Documents