A C0 finite element approximation of planar oblique derivative problems in non-divergence form

This paper proposes a C0 (non-Lagrange) primal finite element approximation of the linear elliptic equations in non-divergence form with oblique boundary conditions in planar, curved domains. As an extension of [Calcolo, 58 (2022), No. 9], the Miranda–Talenti estimate for oblique boundary conditions at a discrete level is established by enhancing the regularity on the vertices. Consequently, the coercivity constant for the proposed scheme is exactly the same as that from PDE theory. The quasi-optimal order error estimates are established by carefully studying the approximation property of the finite element spaces. Numerical experiments are provided to verify the convergence theory and to demonstrate the accuracy and efficiency of the proposed methods.