Convergence and optimality of the adaptive nonconforming linear element method for the stokes problem

In this paper, we analyze the convergence and optimality of a standard adaptive nonconforming linear element method for the Stokes problem. After establishing a special quasi-orthogonality property for both the velocity and the pressure in this saddle point problem, we introduce a new prolongation operator to carry through the discrete reliability analysis for the error estimator. We then use a specially defined interpolation operator to prove that, up to oscillation, the error can be bounded by the approximation error within a properly defined nonlinear approximate class. Finally, by introducing a new parameter-dependent error estimator, we prove the convergence and optimality estimates. © 2012 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.