Exact calculation of Fourier series in nonconforming spectral-element methods

In this note is presented a method, given nodal values on multidimensional nonconforming spectral elements, for calculating global Fourier-series coefficients. This method is “exact” in that given the approximation inherent in the spectral-element method (SEM), no further approximation is introduced that exceeds computer round-off error. The method is very useful when the SEM has yielded an adaptive-mesh representation of a spatial function whose global Fourier spectrum must be examined, e.g., in dynamically adaptive fluiddynamics simulations such as [7].