Arbitrarily High-Order Structure-Preserving Parametric Finite Element Methods for Geometric PDEs via Local Pullback Flow Maps

Abstract

We develop arbitrarily high-order structure-preserving parametric finite element methods for geometric PDEs including surface diffusion and volume-preserving mean curvature flow based on local pullback flow maps. The central idea is to reformulate the geometric PDEs on an arbitrary intermediate hypersurface and represent the subsequent evolution through a local pullback flow map. Using admissible local pullbacks, we derive two formulations from the corresponding pullback identities for the Laplace-Beltrami operator, referred to as the conformal and equidistribution formulations. We discretize both formulations using arbitrary-degree isoparametric finite elements and Runge-Kutta collocation methods with positive weights. For the conformal formulation, weighted averages of the normal-Jacobian vector ensure exact preservation of the enclosed area or volume, while algebraic stability of the Runge-Kutta method additionally guarantees dissipation of the perimeter or surface area. For the equidistribution formulation, a path-averaged normal-Jacobian vector and a geometric discrete gradient guarantee both exact preservation of the enclosed area or volume and dissipation of the perimeter or surface area, without requiring algebraic stability. Numerical experiments confirm the expected high-order accuracy and structure-preserving properties.