Variational formulation, coercivity of: $ a(v,v) = \int_{\Omega} (\Delta v)^2 + \int_{\partial\Omega} v^2$

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i'm trying to solve the Poisson equation: $$ \begin{split} -\Delta u &= f \quad \text{in } \Omega\\ u &= g \quad \text{on } \partial \Omega, \end{split} $$

where $ \Omega$ is bounded a Lipschitz-continues domain and $u \in H^2(\Omega), f,g \in L^2(\Omega)$. The least squares finite element method minimizes the following energy functional:

$$ J(u;f,g) := \frac{1}{2} \int_{\Omega} (-\Delta u-f)^2 + \int_{\partial\Omega} (u -g)^2 $$

this method leads to the following variational problem: $$ a(u,v) = l(v), \quad \forall v \in V \subset H^2(\Omega) $$ where

$$ \begin{split} a(u,v) &= \int_{\Omega} \Delta u\Delta v + \int_{\partial\Omega} uv \\ l(v) &= \int_{\Omega} -f\Delta v + \int_{\partial\Omega} gv \end{split} $$

It's clear that this bilinear operator is continues. Now i'm trying to proof that $a(v,v)$ is coercive, e.q.

$$ a(v,v) = \int_{\Omega} (\Delta v)^2 + \int_{\partial\Omega} v^2 \geq C\| v\|^2_{H^2(\Omega)} $$

It seems to be hard to prove that, so I tried to show this weaker inequality: $$a(v,v) = \int_{\Omega} (\Delta v)^2 + \int_{\partial\Omega} v^2 \geq C\| v\|^2_{L^2(\Omega)} $$ but with no success.

I don't have the opportunity to choose $u \in H^2(\Omega) \cap H^1_0(\partial \Omega)$, so i had to add the boundary residual to the energy functional $J$. I guess i'm working with the wrong energy.

This is my first question here and i'm thankful for every hint.

skymath

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The first coercivity inequality does not hold. Take, for example, the disk-shape domain $\Omega = \{x, y: x^2 + y^2 \leq 1\}$ and consider a sequence of boundary data $g_n$, $n \in \mathbb R$, defined by $g_n = \cos(n\theta(x, y))$, where $\theta(\cdot, \cdot)$ denotes the angle of the argument in $[0, 2\pi]$. Take $v_n$ as being the solution of \begin{align} - \Delta v_n = 0, \qquad & \text{in $\Omega$}, \\ v_n = g_n, \qquad & \text{in $\partial \Omega$}. \end{align} Clearly, $$ \int_{\Omega} (\Delta v_n)^2 + \int_{\partial\Omega} v_n^2 = \int_{\partial \Omega} g_n^2 \leq C. $$ If the first coercivity inequality you wrote was true, it would imply: $$ \|v_n\|_{H^2(\Omega)} \leq C, $$ and thus, by the trace inequality $$ \|v_n\|_{H^{m}(\partial \Omega)} = \|g_n\|_{H^m(\partial\Omega)}\leq C, \qquad 0 \leq m \leq 3/2. $$ Given the form of $g_n$, this is clearly false for $m = 1$.