Multi-domain FEM-BEM coupling for acoustic scattering

Abstract: We model time-harmonic acoustic scattering by an object composed of piece-wise homogeneous parts and an arbitrarily heterogeneous part. We propose and analyze new formulations that couple, adopting a Costabel-type approach, boundary integral equations for the homogeneous subdomains with volume variational formulations for the heterogeneous subdomain. This is an extension of the Costabel FEM-BEM coupling to a multi-domain configuration, with cross-points allowed, i.e. points where three or more subdomains are adjacent. While generally just the exterior unbounded subdomain is treated with the BEM, here we wish to exploit the advantages of BEM whenever it is applicable, that is, for all the homogeneous parts of the scattering object. Our formulation is based on the multi-trace formalism, which initially was introduced for acoustic scattering by piece-wise homogeneous objects. Instead, here we allow the wavenumber to vary arbitrarily in a part of the domain. We prove that the bilinear form associated with the proposed formulation satisfies a G{\aa}rding coercivity inequality, which ensures stability of the variational problem if it is uniquely solvable. We identify conditions for injectivity and construct modified versions immune to spurious resonances.