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Crank-Nicolson Finite Element Discretizations for a 2D Linear Schrödinger-Type Equation Posed in a Noncylindrical Domain

Motivated by the paraxial narrow-angle approximation of the Helmholtz equation in domains of variable topography that appears as an important application in Underwater Acoustics, we analyze a general Schrödinger-type equation posed on two-dimensional variable domains with mixed boundary conditions. The resulting initial- and boundary-value problem is transformed into an equivalent one posed on a rectangular domain and is approximated by fully discrete, $L^2$-stable, finite element, Crank--Nicolson type schemes. We prove a global elliptic regularity theorem for complex elliptic boundary value problems with mixed conditions and derive $L^2$-error estimates of optimal order. Numerical experiments are presented which verify the optimal rate of convergence.