Computational Methods In The Fractional Calculus Of Variations

This book fills a gap in the literature by introducing numerical techniques to solve problems of fractional calculus of variations (FCV). In most cases, finding the analytic solution to such problems is extremely difficult or even impossible, and numerical methods need to be used.The authors are well-known researchers in the area of FCV and the book contains some of their recent results, serving as a companion volume to Introduction to the Fractional Calculus of Variations by A B Malinowska and D F M Torres, where analytical methods are presented to solve FCV problems. After some preliminaries on the subject, different techniques are presented in detail with numerous examples to help the reader to better understand the methods. The techniques presented may be used not only to deal with FCV problems but also in other contexts of fractional calculus, such as fractional differential equations and fractional optimal control. It is suitable as an advanced book for graduate students in mathematics, physics and engineering, as well as for researchers interested in fractional calculus.

This book will give readers the possibility of finding very important mathematical tools for working with fractional models and solving fractional differential equations, such as a generalization of Stirling numbers in the framework of fractional calculus and a set of efficient numerical methods. Moreover, we will introduce some applied topics, in particular fractional variational methods which are used in physics, engineering or economics. We will also discuss the relationship between semi-Markov continuous-time random walks and the space-time fractional diffusion equation, which generalizes the usual theory relating random walks to the diffusion equation. These methods can be applied in finance, to model tick-by-tick (log)-price fluctuations, in insurance theory, to study ruin, as well as in macroeconomics as prototypical growth models. All these topics are complementary to what is dealt with in existing books on fractional calculus and its applications. This book will keep in mind the trade-off between full mathematical rigor and the needs of readers coming from different applied areas of science and engineering. In particular, the numerical methods listed in the book are presented in a readily accessible way that immediately allows the readers to implement them on a computer in a programming language of their choice. The second edition of the book has been expanded and now includes a discussion of additional, newly developed numerical methods for fractional calculus and a chapter on the application of fractional calculus for modeling processes in the life sciences.

The subject of fractional calculus and its applications (that is, convolution-type pseudo-differential operators including integrals and derivatives of any arbitrary real or complex order) has gained considerable popularity and importance during the past three decades or so, mainly due to its applications in diverse fields of science and engineering. These operators have been used to model problems with anomalous dynamics, however, they also are an effective tool as filters and controllers, and they can be applied to write complicated functions in terms of fractional integrals or derivatives of elementary functions, and so on. This book will give readers the possibility of finding very important mathematical tools for working with fractional models and solving fractional differential equations, such as a generalization of Stirling numbers in the framework of fractional calculus and a set of efficient numerical methods. Moreover, we will introduce some applied topics, in particular fractional variational methods which are used in physics, engineering or economics. We will also discuss the relationship between semi-Markov continuous-time random walks and the space-time fractional diffusion equation, which generalizes the usual theory relating random walks to the diffusion equation. These methods can be applied in finance, to model tick-by-tick (log)-price fluctuations, in insurance theory, to study ruin, as well as in macroeconomics as prototypical growth models. All these topics are complementary to what is dealt with in existing books on fractional calculus and its applications. This book was written with a trade-off in mind between full mathematical rigor and the needs of readers coming from different applied areas of science and engineering. In particular, the numerical methods listed in the book are presented in a readily accessible way that immediately allows the readers to implement them on a computer in a programming language of their choice. Numerical code is also provided.

This invaluable book provides a broad introduction to the fascinating and beautiful subject of Fractional Calculus of Variations (FCV). In 1996, FVC evolved in order to better describe non-conservative systems in mechanics. The inclusion of non-conservatism is extremely important from the point of view of applications. Forces that do not store energy are always present in real systems. They remove energy from the systems and, as a consequence, Noether's conservation laws cease to be valid. However, it is still possible to obtain the validity of Noether's principle using FCV. The new theory provides a more realistic approach to physics, allowing us to consider non-conservative systems in a natural way. The authors prove the necessary Euler–Lagrange conditions and corresponding Noether theorems for several types of fractional variational problems, with and without constraints, using Lagrangian and Hamiltonian formalisms. Sufficient optimality conditions are also obtained under convexity, and Leitmann's direct method is discussed within the framework of FCV. The book is self-contained and unified in presentation. It may be used as an advanced textbook by graduate students and ambitious undergraduates in mathematics and mechanics. It provides an opportunity for an introduction to FCV for experienced researchers. The explanations in the book are detailed, in order to capture the interest of the curious reader, and the book provides the necessary background material required to go further into the subject and explore the rich research literature.

This book introduces a series of problems and methods insufficiently discussed in the field of Fractional Calculus – a major, emerging tool relevant to all areas of scientific inquiry. The authors present examples based on symbolic computation, written in Maple and Mathematica, and address both mathematical and computational areas in the context of mathematical modeling and the generalization of classical integer-order methods. Distinct from most books, the present volume fills the gap between mathematics and computer fields, and the transition from integer- to fractional-order methods.

This brief presents a general unifying perspective on the fractional calculus. It brings together results of several recent approaches in generalizing the least action principle and the Euler–Lagrange equations to include fractional derivatives. The dependence of Lagrangians on generalized fractional operators as well as on classical derivatives is considered along with still more general problems in which integer-order integrals are replaced by fractional integrals. General theorems are obtained for several types of variational problems for which recent results developed in the literature can be obtained as special cases. In particular, the authors offer necessary optimality conditions of Euler–Lagrange type for the fundamental and isoperimetric problems, transversality conditions, and Noether symmetry theorems. The existence of solutions is demonstrated under Tonelli type conditions. The results are used to prove the existence of eigenvalues and corresponding orthogonal eigenfunctions of fractional Sturm–Liouville problems. Advanced Methods in the Fractional Calculus of Variations is a self-contained text which will be useful for graduate students wishing to learn about fractional-order systems. The detailed explanations will interest researchers with backgrounds in applied mathematics, control and optimization as well as in certain areas of physics and engineering.

This book is devoted to applications of fractional calculus in classical fields of mathematics like analysis, dynamics, partial differential equations and optimal control. The first chapter deals with the notion of local fractional derivatives and its applications to the study of regularity and geometry of curves. The second chapter develops the notion of fractional embedding and fractional assymetric calculus of variations in order to find fractional Lagrangian variational structures for classical dissipative partial differential equations. In continuation of this chapter, a fractional analogue of the classical Pontryagin maximum principle is proved for discrete and continuous fractional optimal control problems. The fourth chapter gives a first mathematical model that allows a rigorous connection to be made between the dynamics of chaotic Hamiltonian systems and fractional dynamics, mixing the previous approaches of G Zaslavsky and R Hilfer. Finally, numerical methods to deal with fractional optimal control problems are discussed and implemented. All the chapters are self-contained and complete proofs are given.