Finite element approximations of nonlinear eigenvalue problems in quantum physics

In this paper, we study finite element approximations of a class of nonlinear eigenvalue problems arising from quantum physics. We derive both a priori and a posteriori finite element error estimates and obtain optimal convergence rates for both linear and quadratic finite element approximations. In particular, we analyze the convergence and complexity of an adaptive finite element method. In our analysis, we utilize certain relationship between the finite element eigenvalue problem and the associated finite element boundary value approximations. We also present several numerical examples in quantum physics that support our theory. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.