Adaptive finite element solution of eigenvalue problems: Balancing of discretization and iteration error

Abstract This paper develops a combined a posteriori analysis for the discretization and iteration errors in the solution of elliptic eigenvalue problems by the finite element method. The emphasis is on the iterative solution of the discretized eigenvalue problem by a Krylov-space method. The underlying theoretical framework is that of the Dual Weighted Residual (DWR) method for goal-oriented error estimation. On the basis of computable a posteriori error estimates the algebraic iteration can be adjusted to the discretization within a successive mesh adaptation process. The functionality of the proposed method is demonstrated by numerical examples.