On the parametric finite element approximation of evolving hypersurfaces in R³

Abstract

We present a variational formulation of motion by minus the Laplacian of curvature and mean curvature flow, as well as related second and fourth order flows of a
closed hypersurface in R³. On introducing a parametric finite element approximation, we prove stability bounds and compare our scheme with existing approaches. The presented scheme has very good properties with respect to the distribution of mesh points and, if applicable, volume conservation.