A convergent finite element method with minimal deformation rate for mean curvature flow

Abstract: We propose and analyze a fully discrete parametric finite element method with minimal deformation rate (MDR) for simulating the mean curvature flow of general closed surfaces in three dimensions. The method is formulated from a coupled system that enforces the mean curvature flow law for the normal velocity while introducing an artificial tangential velocity that minimizes the deformation-rate energy, thereby preserving mesh quality without requiring remeshing or reparametrization. An $L^{2}$-projected averaged normal vector is used in the scheme to facilitate a rigorous convergence analysis. Within the projected--distance framework, we establish the first complete convergence proof for a parametric finite element method that incorporates the MDR tangential motion without relying on evolution equations for the mean curvature or the normal vector, achieving optimal-order error estimates for finite elements of degree $k \ge 3$. Numerical experiments corroborate the theoretical results and demonstrate that the proposed MDR method maintains mesh quality comparable to the Barrett--Garcke--Nürnberg method, for which convergence has not yet been established.