On the supporting nodes in the localized method of fundamental solutions for 2D potential problems with Dirichlet boundary condition

This paper proposes a simple, accurate and effective empirical formula to determine the number of supporting nodes in a newly-developed method, the localized method of fundamental solutions (LMFS). The LMFS has the merits of meshless, high-accuracy and easy-to-simulation in large-scale problems, but the number of supporting nodes has a certain impact on the accuracy and stability of the scheme. By using the curve fitting technique, this study established a simple formula between the number of supporting nodes and the node spacing. Based on the developed formula, the reasonable number of supporting nodes can be determined according to the node spacing. Numerical experiments confirmed the validity of the proposed methodology. This paper perfected the theory of the LMFS, and provided a quantitative selection strategy of method parameters.