Finite Element Method Solution of a Boundary Value Problem for an Elliptic Equation with the Dirac Delta Function on the Right-Hand Side

A numerical solution by the finite element method of a homogeneous Dirichlet boundary value problem for an elliptic equation is examined (using a Poisson equation as an example) in a two-dimensional convex polygonal domain $$\Omega $$ with a singular right-hand side given by the Dirac delta function. A theorem on the existence and uniqueness of a generalized solution in the fractional Sobolev space $${{H}^{s}}(\Omega )$$ , $$1{\text{/}}2 < s < 1$$ , is proved. An approach to discrete analysis of the problem using the finite element method is proposed and investigated. The results of numerical experiments for a model problem, obtained using the FreeFem++ software, are presented. They confirm the error estimate of the difference between the discrete and exact solutions derived in the paper.