Approximation of the bifurcation function for elliptic boundary value problems

The bifurcation function for an elliptic boundary value problem is a vector field B(ω) on R ^d whose zeros are in a one‐to‐one correspondence with the solutions of the boundary value problem. Finite element approximations of the boundary value problem are shown to give rise to an approximate bifurcation function B^h(ω), which is also a vector field on R ^d. Estimates of the difference B(ω) − B^h(ω) are derived, and methods for computing B^h(ω) are discussed. © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Numer Methods Partial Differential Eq 16: 194–213, 2000