A nonconforming Trefftz virtual element method for the Helmholtz problem

Abstract: We introduce a novel virtual element method (VEM) for the two dimensional Helmholtz problem endowed with impedance boundary conditions. Local approximation spaces consist of Trefftz functions, i.e., functions belonging to the kernel of the Helmholtz operator. The global trial and test spaces are not fully discontinuous, but rather interelement continuity is imposed in a nonconforming fashion. Although their functions are only implicitly defined, as typical of the VEM framework, they contain discontinuous subspaces made of functions known in closed form and with good approximation properties (plane waves, in our case). We carry out an abstract error analysis of the method, and derive $h$-version error estimates. Moreover, we initiate its numerical investigation by presenting a first test, which demonstrates the theoretical convergence rates.