Numerical evaluation of singular integrals on non-disjoint self-similar fractal sets

Abstract

We consider the numerical evaluation of a class of double integrals with respect to a pair of self-similar measures over a self-similar fractal set (the attractor of an iterated function system), with a weakly singular integrand of logarithmic or algebraic type. In a recent paper (Gibbs et al. Numer. Algorithms 92, 2071–2124 2023), it was shown that when the fractal set is “disjoint” in a certain sense (an example being the Cantor set), the self-similarity of the measures, combined with the homogeneity properties of the integrand, can be exploited to express the singular integral exactly in terms of regular integrals, which can be readily approximated numerically. In this paper, we present a methodology for extending these results to cases where the fractal is non-disjoint but non-overlapping (in the sense that the open set condition holds). Our approach applies to many well-known examples including the Sierpinski triangle, the Vicsek fractal, the Sierpinski carpet, and the Koch snowflake.