Lei Zhang

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I am a Ph.D. candidate in Applied and Computational Mathematics at California Institute of Technology.

Research Interests
Multiscale Analysis and Modeling in Science and Engineering.
Homogenization of Partial Differential Equations.
Numerical Analysis and Scientific Computing.


Contact Information
Department of Applied and Computational Mathematics
MC 217-50, Caltech
Pasadena, CA 91125

Phone: 626-395-4545
e-mail: zhanglei@acm.caltech.edu




Research Papers
  • Metric Based Upscaling (Communications on Pure and Applied Mathematics, Vol. 60, Issue 5, p 675-723. Also as arXiv, math.NA/0505223). Correction

    We consider divergence form elliptic operators in dimension $n\geq 2$ with $L^{\infty}$ coefficients. Although solutions of these operators are only Holder continuous, we show that they are differentiable $C^{1,\alpha}$ with respect to harmonic coordinates. It follows that numerical homogenization can be extended to situations where the medium has no ergodicity at small scales and is characterized by a continuum of scales. This new numerical homogenization method is based on the transfer a new metric in addition to traditional averaged (homogenized) quantities from subgrid scales into computational scales. Error bounds can be given and this method can also be used as a compression tool for differential operators.

  • Homogenization of Parabolic Equations with a Continuum Space and Time Scales (arXiv, math.AP/0512504, accepted by SINUM)

    This paper addresses the issue of homogenization of linear divergence form parabolic operators in situations where no ergodicity and no scale separation in time or space are available. Namely, we consider divergence form linear parabolic operators in $\Omega\in\mathbb{R}^n$ with $L^{\infty}(\Omega\times(0,T)))$-coefficients. It appears that the inverse operator maps the unit ball of $L^2(\Omega\times(0,T))$ into a space of functions which at small (time and space) scales are close in $H^1$ norm to a functional space of dimension n. It follows that once one has solved these equations at least n-times it is possible to homogenize them both in space and in time, reducing the number of operations counts necessary to obtain further solutions. In practice we show that under a Cordes type condition that the first order time derivatives and second order space derivatives of the solution of these operators with respect to caloric coordinates are in $L^2$ (instead of $H^{-1}$ with Euclidean coordinates). If the medium is time independent then it is sufficient to solve n times the associated elliptic equation in order to homogenize the parabolic equation.

  • Homogenization of the Accoustic Wave Equation with a Continuum Scales (preprint, math.AP/0604380)

    We consider the acoustic wave equation in dimension $n$ in situations where the bulk modulus and the density of the medium are only bounded. We show that under a Cordes type condition the second order derivatives of the solution with respect to harmonic coordinates are in $L^2$ (instead of $H^{-1}$ with respect to Euclidean coordinates) and the solution itself is in $L^{\infty}(0,T,H^2(\Omega))$ (instead of $L^{\infty}(0,T,H^1(\Omega))$ with respect to Euclidean coordinates). It follows that it is possible to homogenize the wave equation without assumptions of scale separation or ergodicity by pre-computing $n$ solutions of the associated elliptic equation.


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