Published online by Cambridge University Press: 15 September 2005
The magnetization of a ferromagnetic sample solves anon-convex variational problem, where its relaxation by convexifyingthe energy density resolves relevantmacroscopic information. The numerical analysis of the relaxed modelhas to deal with a constrained convexbut degenerated, nonlocal energy functional in mixed formulation formagnetic potential u and magnetization m.In [C. Carstensen and A. Prohl, Numer. Math.90(2001) 65–99], the conforming P1 - (P0)d -element in d=2,3 spatialdimensions is shown to lead toan ill-posed discrete problem in relaxed micromagnetism, and suboptimalconvergence.This observation motivated anon-conforming finite element method which leads toa well-posed discrete problem, with solutions converging atoptimal rate.In this work, we provide both an a priori and a posteriori error analysis for twostabilized conforming methods which account for inter-element jumps of thepiecewise constant magnetization.Both methods converge at optimal rate;the new approach is applied to a macroscopic nonstationary ferromagnetic model [M. Kružík and A. Prohl, Adv. Math. Sci. Appl. 14 (2004) 665–681 – M. Kružík and T. Roubíček, Z. Angew. Math. Phys. 55 (2004) 159–182 ].