The hybridizable discontinuous Galerkin methods

In this paper, we present and discuss the so-called hybridizable discontinuous Galerkin (HDG) methods. The discontinuous Galerkin (DG) methods were originally devised for numerically solving linear and then nonlinear hyperbolic problems. Their success prompted their extension to the compressible Navier-Stokes equations - and hence to second-order elliptic equations. The clash between the DG methods and decades-old, well-established finite element methods resulted in the introduction of the HDG methods. The HDG methods can be implemented more efficiently and are more accurate than all previously known DG methods; they represent a competitive alternative to the well established finite element methods. Here we show how to devise and implement the HDG methods, argue why they work so well and prove optimal convergence properties in the framework of diffusion and incompressible flow problems. We end by briefly describing extensions to other continuum mechanics and fluid dynamics problems.