A monotone $Q^1$ finite element method for anisotropic elliptic equations

We construct a monotone continuous $Q^1$ finite element method on the uniform mesh for the anisotropic diffusion problem with a diagonally dominant diffusion coefficient matrix. The monotonicity implies the discrete maximum principle. Convergence of the new scheme is rigorously proven. On quadrilateral meshes, the matrix coefficient conditions translate into specific a mesh constraint.