On interpolation spaces of piecewise polynomials on mixed meshes
Michael Karkulik, Jens Markus Melenk, Alexander Rieder · arXiv (Cornell University) · 2023
We consider fractional Sobolev spaces $H^θ$, $θ\in (0,1)$, on 2D domains and $H^1$-conforming discretizations by globally continuous piecewise polynomials on a mesh consisting of shape-regular triangles and quadrilaterals. We prove that the norm obtained from interpolating between the discrete space equipped with the $L^2$-norm on the one hand and the $H^1$-norm on the other hand is equivalent to the corresponding continuous interpolation Sobolev norm, and the norm-equivalence constants are independent of meshsize and polynomial degree. This characterization of the Sobolev norm is then used to show an inverse inequality between $H^1$ and $H^θ$.