Optimal L2 estimates for semidiscrete Galerkin methods for
parabolic integro-differential equations with nonsmooth data

Abstract

In this article, we discuss an alternate approach to a priori error estimates for the semidiscrete Galerkin approximation to a time dependent parabolic integro-differential equation with nonsmooth initial data. It is based on energy arguments and on a repeated use of time integration, but without using parabolic type duality technique. Optimal L2-error estimate is derived for the semidiscrete approximation, when the initial data is in L2.