Constructions of some minimal finite element systems

Within the framework of finite element systems, we show how spaces of differential forms may be constructed, in such a way that they are equipped with commuting interpolators and contain prescribed functions, and are minimal under these constraints. We show how various known mixed finite element spaces fulfill such a design principle, including trimmed polynomial differential forms, serendipity elements and TNT elements. We also comment on virtual element methods and provide a dimension formula for minimal compatible finite element systems containing polynomials of a given degree on hypercubes.