We introduce a discrete-time fractional calculus of variations. First and second order necessary optimality conditions are established. Examples illustrating the use of the new Euler-Lagrange and Legendre type conditions are given. They show that the solutions of the fractional problems coincide with the solutions of the corresponding non-fractional variational problems when the order of the discrete derivatives is an integer value.
We prove the Euler-Lagrange delta-differential equations for problems of the calculus of variations on arbitrary time scales with delta-integral functionals depending on higher-order delta derivatives.
In this paper, in the absence of any constraint qualifications, we develop sequential necessary and sufficient optimality conditions for a constrained multiobjective fractional programming problem characterizing a Henig proper efficient solution in terms of the $ε$-subdifferentials and the subdifferentials of the functions. This is achieved by employing a sequential Henig subdifferential calculus rule of the sums of $m \ (m\geq 2)$ proper convex vector valued mappings with a composition of two convex vector valued mappings. In order to present an example illustrating the main results of this p…
We study problems of the calculus of variations and optimal control within the framework of time scales. Specifically, we obtain Euler-Lagrange type equations for both Lagrangians depending on higher order delta derivatives and isoperimetric problems. We also develop some direct methods to solve certain classes of variational problems via dynamic inequalities. In the last chapter we introduce fractional difference operators and propose a new discrete-time fractional calculus of variations. Corresponding Euler-Lagrange and Legendre necessary optimality conditions are derived and some illustrati…
The fractional calculus of variations is now a subject under strong research. Different definitions for fractional derivatives and integrals are used, depending on the purpose under study. In this paper the fractional operators are defined in the sense of Jumarie. This allows us to work with functions which are non-differentiable. We present necessary and sufficient optimality conditions for fractional problems of the calculus of variations with a Lagrangian density depending on the free end-points.
We study more general variational problems on time scales. Previous results are generalized by proving necessary optimality conditions for (i) variational problems involving delta derivatives of more than the first order, and (ii) problems of the calculus of variations with delta-differential side conditions (Lagrange problem of the calculus of variations on time scales).
We consider fractional isoperimetric problems of calculus of variations with double integrals via the recent modified Riemann-Liouville approach. A necessary optimality condition of Euler-Lagrange type, in the form of a multitime fractional PDE, is proved, as well as a sufficient condition and fractional natural boundary conditions.
We consider non-autonomous calculus of variations problems with a state constraint represented by a given closed set. We prove that if the interior of the Clarke tangent cone of the state constraint set is non-empty (this is the constraint qualification that we suggest here), then the necessary optimality conditions apply in the normal form. We establish normality results for (weak) local minimizers and global minimizers, employing two different approaches and invoking slightly diverse assumptions. More precisely, for the local minimizers result, the Lagrangian is supposed to be Lipschitz with…
We give a proper fractional extension of the classical calculus of variations by considering variational functionals with a Lagrangian depending on a combined Caputo fractional derivative and the classical derivative. Euler-Lagrange equations to the basic and isoperimetric problems are proved, as well as transversality conditions.
Problems of calculus of variations with variable endpoints cannot be solved without transversality conditions. Here, we establish such type of conditions for fractional variational problems with the Caputo derivative. We consider: the Bolza-type fractional variational problem, the fractional variational problem with a Lagrangian that may also depend on the unspecified end-point $φ(b)$, where $x=φ(t)$ is a given curve, and the infinite horizon fractional variational problem.
We review the recent generalized fractional calculus of variations. We consider variational problems containing generalized fractional integrals and derivatives and study them using indirect methods. In particular, we provide necessary optimality conditions of Euler-Lagrange type for the fundamental and isoperimetric problems, natural boundary conditions, and Noether type theorems.
We prove Euler-Lagrange and natural boundary necessary optimality conditions for fractional problems of the calculus of variations which are given by a composition of functionals. Our approach uses the recent notions of Riemann-Liouville fractional derivatives and integrals in the sense of Jumarie. As an application, we get optimality conditions for the product and the quotient of fractional variational functionals.
In this paper we study isoperimetric problems of the calculus of variations with left and right Riemann-Liouville fractional derivatives. Both situations when the lower bound of the variational integrals coincide and do not coincide with the lower bound of the fractional derivatives are considered.
We prove necessary optimality conditions, in the class of continuous functions, for variational problems defined with Jumarie's modified Riemann-Liouville derivative. The fractional basic problem of the calculus of variations with free boundary conditions is considered, as well as problems with isoperimetric and holonomic constraints.
We give a proper fractional extension of the classical calculus of variations. Necessary optimality conditions of Euler-Lagrange type for variational problems containing both classical and fractional derivatives are proved. The fundamental problem of the calculus of variations with mixed integer and fractional order derivatives as well as isoperimetric problems are considered.
What is the most efficient search strategy for the random located target sites subject to the physical and biological constraints? Previous results suggested the Lévy flight is the best option to characterize this optimal problem, however, which ignores the understanding and learning abilities of the searcher agents. In the paper we propose the Continuous Time Random Walk (CTRW) optimal search framework and find the optimum for both of search length's and waiting time's distributions. Based on fractional calculus technique, we further derive its master equation to show the mechanism of such co…
We study fractional variational problems in terms of a generalized fractional integral with Lagrangians depending on classical derivatives, generalized fractional integrals and derivatives. We obtain necessary optimality conditions for the basic and isoperimetric problems, as well as natural boundary conditions for free boundary value problems. The fractional action-like variational approach (FALVA) is extended and some applications to Physics discussed.
Fractional operators play an important role in modeling nonlocal phenomena and problems involving coarse-grained and fractal spaces. The fractional calculus of variations with functionals depending on derivatives and/or integrals of noninteger order is a rather recent subject that is currently in fast development due to its applications in physics and other sciences. In the last decade, several approaches to fractional variational calculus were proposed by using different notions of fractional derivatives and integrals. Although the literature of the fractional calculus of variations is alread…
The study of fractional variational problems in terms of a combined fractional Caputo derivative is introduced. Necessary optimality conditions of Euler-Lagrange type for the basic, isoperimetric, and Lagrange variational problems are proved, as well as transversality and sufficient optimality conditions. This allows to obtain necessary and sufficient Pareto optimality conditions for multiobjective fractional variational problems.
We prove Euler-Lagrange and natural boundary necessary optimality conditions for problems of the calculus of variations which are given by a composition of nabla integrals on an arbitrary time scale. As an application, we get optimality conditions for the product and the quotient of nabla variational functionals.
Motivated by gradient methods in optimization theory, we give methods based on $ψ$-fractional derivatives of order $α$ in order to solve unconstrained optimization problems. The convergence of these methods is analyzed in detail. This paper also presents an Adams-Bashforth-Moulton (ABM) method for the estimation of solutions to equations involving $ψ$-fractional derivatives. Numerical examples using the ABM method show that the fractional order $α$ and weight $ψ$ are tunable parameters, which can be helpful for improving the performance of gradient descent methods.
We study the fundamental problem of the calculus of variations with variable order fractional operators. Fractional integrals are considered in the sense of Riemann-Liouville while derivatives are of Caputo type.
We derive a framework to compute optimal controls for problems with states in the space of probability measures. Since many optimal control problems constrained by a system of ordinary differential equations (ODE) modelling interacting particles converge to optimal control problems constrained by a partial differential equation (PDE) in the mean-field limit, it is interesting to have a calculus directly on the mesoscopic level of probability measures which allows us to derive the corresponding first-order optimality system. In addition to this new calculus, we provide relations for the resulti…
In this PhD thesis we introduce a generalized fractional calculus of variations. We consider variational problems containing generalized fractional integrals and derivatives, and study them using standard (indirect) and direct methods. In particular, we obtain necessary optimality conditions of Euler-Lagrange type for the fundamental and isoperimetric problems, natural boundary conditions, and Noether theorems. Existence of solutions is shown under Tonelli type conditions. Moreover, we apply our results to prove existence of eigenvalues, and corresponding orthogonal eigenfunctions, to fraction…
This paper provides necessary and sufficient conditions of optimality for variational problems that deal with a fractional derivative with respect to another function. Fractional Euler--Lagrange equations are established for the fundamental problem and when in presence of an integral constraint. A Legendre condition, which is a second-order necessary condition, is also obtained. Other cases, such as the infinite horizon problem, the problem with delays in the Lagrangian, and the problem with high-order derivatives, are considered. Finally, a necessary condition for the optimal fractional order…
Main results and techniques of the fractional calculus of variations are surveyed. We consider variational problems containing Caputo derivatives and study them using both indirect and direct methods. In particular, we provide necessary optimality conditions of Euler-Lagrange type for the fundamental, higher-order, and isoperimetric problems, and compute approximated solutions based on truncated Grünwald--Letnikov approximations of Caputo derivatives.
We introduce and develop the Hahn symmetric quantum calculus with applications to the calculus of variations. Namely, we obtain a necessary optimality condition of Euler-Lagrange type and a sufficient optimality condition for variational problems within the context of Hahn's symmetric calculus. Moreover, we show the effectiveness of Leitmann's direct method when applied to Hahn's symmetric variational calculus. Illustrative examples are provided.
We introduce three types of partial fractional operators of variable order. An integration by parts formula for partial fractional integrals of variable order and an extension of Green's theorem are proved. These results allow us to obtain a fractional Euler-Lagrange necessary optimality condition for variable order two-dimensional fractional variational problems.
We generalize the fractional Caputo derivative to the fractional derivative ${^CD^{α,β}_γ}$, which is a convex combination of the left Caputo fractional derivative of order $α$ and the right Caputo fractional derivative of order $β$. The fractional variational problems under our consideration are formulated in terms of ${^CD^{α,β}_γ}$. The Euler-Lagrange equations for the basic and isoperimetric problems, as well as transversality conditions, are proved.
We prove Euler-Lagrange fractional equations and sufficient optimality conditions for problems of the calculus of variations with functionals containing both fractional derivatives and fractional integrals in the sense of Riemann-Liouville.
In this work we look at the original fractional calculus of variations problem in a somewhat different way. As a simple consequence, we show that a fractional generalization of a classical problem has a solution without any restrictions on the derivative-order $α$.
This book intends to deepen the study of the fractional calculus, giving special emphasis to variable-order operators. It is organized in two parts, as follows. In the first part, we review the basic concepts of fractional calculus (Chapter 1) and of the fractional calculus of variations (Chapter 2). In Chapter 1, we start with a brief overview about fractional calculus and an introduction to the theory of some special functions in fractional calculus. Then, we recall several fractional operators (integrals and derivatives) definitions and some properties of the considered fractional derivativ…
We derive Euler-Lagrange type equations for fractional action-like integrals of the calculus of variations which depend on the Riemann-Liouville derivatives of order $(α,β)$, $α> 0$, $β> 0$, recently introduced by J. Cresson and S. Darses. Some interesting consequences are obtained and discussed.
We study operators that are generalizations of the classical Riemann-Liouville fractional integral, and of the Riemann-Liouville and Caputo fractional derivatives. A useful formula relating the generalized fractional derivatives is proved, as well as three relations of fractional integration by parts that change the parameter set of the given operator into its dual. Such results are explored in the context of dynamic optimization, by considering problems of the calculus of variations with general fractional operators. Necessary optimality conditions of Euler-Lagrange type and natural boundary …
The paper is devoted to an analysis of optimality conditions for nonsmooth multidimensional problems of the calculus of variations with various types of constraints, such as additional constraints at the boundary and isoperimetric constraints. To derive optimality conditions, we study generalised concepts of differentiability of nonsmooth functions called codifferentiability and quasidifferentiability. Under some natural and easily verifiable assumptions we prove that a nonsmooth integral functional defined on the Sobolev space is continuously codifferentiable and compute its codifferential an…
We introduce a discrete-time fractional calculus of variations on the time scales $\mathbb{Z}$ and $(h\mathbb{Z})_a$. First and second order necessary optimality conditions are established. Some numerical examples illustrating the use of the new Euler-Lagrange and Legendre type conditions are given. We also give new definitions of fractional derivatives and integrals on time scales via the inverse generalized Laplace transform.
We introduce a stochastic fractional calculus. As an application, we present a stochastic fractional calculus of variations, which generalizes the fractional calculus of variations to stochastic processes. A stochastic fractional Euler-Lagrange equation is obtained, extending those available in the literature for the classical, fractional, and stochastic calculus of variations. To illustrate our main theoretical result, we discuss two examples: one derived from quantum mechanics, the second validated by an adequate numerical simulation.
We introduce new fractional operators of variable order on isolated time scales with Mittag-Leffler kernels. This allows a general formulation of a class of fractional variational problems involving variable-order difference operators. Main results give fractional integration by parts formulas and necessary optimality conditions of Euler-Lagrange type.
We introduce a fractional theory of the calculus of variations for multiple integrals. Our approach uses the recent notions of Riemann-Liouville fractional derivatives and integrals in the sense of Jumarie. Main results provide fractional versions of the theorems of Green and Gauss, fractional Euler-Lagrange equations, and fractional natural boundary conditions. As an application we discuss the fractional equation of motion of a vibrating string.
We prove higher-order Euler-Lagrange and DuBois-Reymond stationary conditions to fractional action-like variational problems. More general fractional action-like optimal control problems are also considered.
We generalize the fractional Caputo derivative to the fractional derivative ${{^CD}^{α,β}_γ}$, which is a convex combination of the left Caputo fractional derivative of order $α$ and the right Caputo fractional derivative of order $β$. The fractional variational problems under our consideration are formulated in terms of ${{^CD}^{α,β}_γ}$. The Euler-Lagrange equations for the basic and isoperimetric problems, as well as transversality conditions, are proved.
The recent theory of fractional $h$-difference equations introduced in [N. R. O. Bastos, R. A. C. Ferreira, D. F. M. Torres: Discrete-time fractional variational problems, Signal Process. 91 (2011), no. 3, 513--524], is enriched with useful tools for the explicit solution of discrete equations involving left and right fractional difference operators. New results for the right fractional $h$ sum are proved. Illustrative examples show the effectiveness of the obtained results in solving fractional discrete Euler-Lagrange equations.
Fractional (or non-integer) differentiation is an important concept both from theoretical and applicational points of view. The study of problems of the calculus of variations with fractional derivatives is a rather recent subject, the main result being the fractional necessary optimality condition of Euler-Lagrange obtained in 2002. Here we use the notion of Euler-Lagrange fractional extremal to prove a Noether-type theorem. For that we propose a generalization of the classical concept of conservation law, introducing an appropriate fractional operator.
We study incommensurate fractional variational problems in terms of a generalized fractional integral with Lagrangians depending on classical derivatives and generalized fractional integrals and derivatives. We obtain necessary optimality conditions for the basic and isoperimetric problems, transversality conditions for free boundary value problems, and a generalized Noether type theorem.
We adopt the integral definition of the fractional Laplace operator and analyze an optimal control problem for a fractional semilinear elliptic partial differential equation (PDE); control constraints are also considered. We establish the well-posedness of fractional semilinear elliptic PDEs and analyze regularity properties and suitable finite element discretizations. Within the setting of our optimal control problem, we derive the existence of optimal solutions as well as first and second order optimality conditions; regularity estimates for the optimal variables are also analyzed. We devise…
Invariant conditions for conformable fractional problems of the calculus of variations under the presence of external forces in the dynamics are studied. Depending on the type of transformations considered, different necessary conditions of invariance are obtained. As particular cases, we prove fractional versions of Noether's symmetry theorem. Invariant conditions for fractional optimal control problems, using the Hamiltonian formalism, are also investigated. As an example of potential application in Physics, we show that with conformable derivatives it is possible to formulate an Action Prin…
Derivatives and integrals of non-integer order were introduced more than three centuries ago, but only recently gained more attention due to their application on nonlocal phenomena. In this context, the Caputo derivatives are the most popular approach to fractional calculus among physicists, since differential equations involving Caputo derivatives require regular boundary conditions. Motivated by several applications in physics and other sciences, the fractional calculus of variations is currently in fast development. However, all current formulations for the fractional variational calculus f…
