Convergence analysis of a high-order Nyström integral-equation method for surface scattering problems

In this paper we present a convergence analysis for the Nyström method proposed in [Jour. Comput. Phys. 169 pp. 2921-2934, 2001] for the solution of the combined boundary integral equation formulations of sound-soft acoustic scattering problems in three-dimensional space. This fast and efficient scheme combines FFT techniques and a polar change of variables that cancels out the kernel singularity. We establish the stability of the algorithms in the L norm and we derive convergence estimates in both the L and L∞ norms. In particular, our analysis establishes theoretically the previously observed super-algebraic convergence of the method in cases in which the right-hand side is smooth.