On the Combination of the Laplace Transform and Integral Equation Method to Solve the 3D Parabolic Initial Boundary Value Problem

We consider a two-step numerical approach for solving parabolic initial boundary value problems in 3D simply connected smooth regions. The method uses the Laplace transform in time, reducing the problem to a set of independent stationary boundary value problems for the Helmholtz equation with complex parameters. The inverse Laplace transform is computed using a sinc quadrature along a suitably chosen contour in the complex plane. We show that due to a symmetry of the quadrature nodes, the number of stationary problems can be decreased by almost a factor of two. The influence of the integration contour parameters on the approximation error is also researched. Stationary problems are numerically solved using a boundary integral equation approach applying the Nyström method, based on the quadratures for smooth surface integrals. Numerical experiments support the expectations.