Block Schwarz methods and preconditioning strategies using Generalized locally Toeplitz tools - part I: analysis of the preconditioners and numerical validation

Abstract

In the current work we present a spectral analysis of the additive and multiplicative Schwarz methods within the framework of domain decomposition techniques, by investigating the spectral properties of these classical Schwarz preconditioning matrix-sequences, with emphasis on their convergence behavior and on the effect of transmission operators. In particular, after a general presentation of various options, we focus on restricted variants of the Schwarz methods aimed at improving parallel efficiency, while preserving their convergence features. In order to rigorously describe and analyze the convergence behavior, we employ the theory of generalized locally Toeplitz (GLT) sequences, which provides a robust framework for studying the asymptotic spectral distribution of the discretized operators arising from Schwarz iterations. By associating each operator sequence with the appropriate GLT symbol, we derive explicit expressions for the GLT symbols of the convergence factors, for both additive and multiplicative Schwarz methods. The GLT-based spectral approach offers a unified and systematic understanding of how the spectrum evolves with mesh refinement and overlap size (in the algebraic case). Our analysis not only deepens the theoretical understanding of classical Schwarz methods, but also establishes a foundation for examining future restricted or hybrid Schwarz variants using GLT symbolic spectral tools. Numerical experiments are presented, while, based on the study in the current work, the analysis of preconditioned matrix-sequences and proposals of new Schwarz preconditioners are given in a twin paper, ideally part II of the present work.