Optimal error analysis of a non-uniform IMEX-L1 finite element method for time fractional PDEs and PIDEs

Stability and optimal convergence analysis of a non-uniform implicit-explicit L1 finite element method (IMEX-L1-FEM) are studied for a class of time-fractional linear partial differential/integro-differential equations with non-self-adjoint elliptic part having variable (space-time) coefficients. Non-uniform IMEX-L1-FEM is based on a combination of an IMEX-L1 method on graded mesh in the temporal direction and a finite element method in the spatial direction. A discrete fractional Gr\"{o}nwall inequality is proposed, which enables us to derive optimal error estimates in $L^2$- and $H^1$-norms. Numerical experiments are presented to validate our theoretical findings.