The effect of quadrature rules on finite element solutions of Maxwell variational problems. Consistency estimates on meshes with straight and curved elements

Abstract: We study the effects of numerical quadrature rules on error convergence rates when solving Maxwell-type variational problems via the curl-conforming or edge finite element method. A complete {\em a priori} error analysis for the case of bounded polygonal and curved domains with non-homogeneous coefficients is provided. We detail sufficient conditions with respect to mesh refinement and precision for the quadrature rules so as to guarantee convergence rates following that of exact numerical integration. On curved domains, we isolate the error contribution to numerical quadrature rules.