Cecilia Magherini

Paolo Ghelardoni, Cecilia Magherini

A matrix method for the solution of direct fractional Sturm-Liouville problems on bounded domain is proposed where the fractional derivative is defined in the Riesz sense. The scheme is based on the application of the Galerkin spectral method of orthogonal polynomials. The order of convergence of the eigenvalue approximations with respect to the matrix size is studied. Some numerical examples that confirm the theory and prove the competitiveness of the approach are finally presented.

Cecilia Magherini

In this paper, we shall derive a spectral matrix method for the approximation of the eigenvalues of (weakly) regular and singular Sturm-Liouville problems in normal form with an unbounded potential at the left endpoint. The method is obtained by using a Galerkin approach with an approximation of the eigenfunctions given by suitable combinations of Legendre polynomials. We will study the errors in the eigenvalue estimates for problems with unsmooth eigenfunctions in proximity of the left endpoint. The results of this analysis will be then used conveniently to determine low-cost and effective procedures for the computation of corrected numerical eigenvalues. Finally, we shall present and discuss the results of several numerical experiments which confirm the effectiveness of the approach.

Luigi Brugnano, Cecilia Magherini

Among the methods for solving ODE-IVPs, the class of General Linear Methods (GLMs) is able to encompass most of them, ranging from Linear Multistep Formulae (LMF) to RK formulae. Moreover, it is possible to obtain methods able to overcome typical drawbacks of the previous classes of methods. For example, order barriers for stable LMF and the problem of order reduction for RK methods. Nevertheless, these goals are usually achieved at the price of a higher computational cost. Consequently, many efforts have been made in order to derive GLMs with particular features, to be exploited for their efficient implementation. In recent years, the derivation of GLMs from particular Boundary Value Methods (BVMs), namely the family of Generalized BDF (GBDF), has been proposed for the numerical solution of stiff ODE-IVPs. In particular, this approach has been recently developed, resulting in a new family of L-stable GLMs of arbitrarily high order, whose theory is here completed and fully worked-out. Moreover, for each one of such methods, it is possible to define a corresponding Blended GLM which is equivalent to it from the point of view of the stability and order properties. These blended methods, in turn, allow the definition of efficient nonlinear splittings for solving the generated discrete problems. A few numerical tests, confirming the excellent potential of such blended methods, are also reported.