Formulation of Euler-Lagrange equations for fractional variational problems

This paper presents extensions to traditional calculus of variations for systems containing fractional derivatives. The fractional derivative is described in the Riemann-Liouville sense. Specifically, we consider two problems, the simplest fractional variational problem and the fractional variational problem of Lagrange. Results of the first problem are extended to problems containing multiple fractional derivatives and unknown functions. For the second problem, we also present a Lagrange type multiplier rule. For both problems, we develop the Euler-Lagrange type necessary conditions which must be satisfied for the given functional to be extremum. Two problems are considered to demonstrate the application of the formulation. The formulation presented and the resulting equations are very similar to those that appear in the field of classical calculus of variations.     

A general finite element formulation for fractional variational problems

This paper presents a general finite element formulation for a class of Fractional Variational Problems (FVPs). The fractional derivative is defined in the Riemann-Liouville sense. For FVPs the Euler-Lagrange and the transversality conditions are developed. In the Fractional Finite Element Formulation (FFEF) presented here, the domain of the equations is divided into several elements, and the functional is approximated in terms of nodal variables. Minimization of this functional leads to a set of algebraic equations which are solved using a numerical scheme. Three examples are considered to show the performance of the algorithm. Results show that as the number of discretization is increased, the numerical solutions approach the analytical solutions, and as the order of the derivative approaches an integer value, the solution for the integer order system is recovered. For unspecified boundary conditions, the numerical solutions satisfy the transversality conditions. This indicates that for the class of problems considered, the numerical solutions can be obtained directly from the functional, and there is no need to solve the fractional Euler-Lagrange equations. Thus, the formulation extends the traditional finite element approach to FVPs.     

Fractional variational problems from extended exponentially fractional integral

In this letter, we study the fractional variational problems from extended exponentially fractional integral. Both the Lagrangian and Hamiltonian formulations are explored and discussed in some details. Some interesting consequences are revealed.     

Local path fitting: A new approach to variational integrators

A new approach for constructing variational integrators is presented. In the general case, the estimation of the action integral in a time interval [_tk,_tk+1]$[t_k,t_{k+1}]$ is used to construct a symplectic map (_qk,_qk+1)→(_qk+1,_qk+2)$(q_k,q_{k+1})\to (q_{k+1},q_{k+2})$. The basic idea, is that only the partial derivatives of the estimated action integral of the Lagrangian are needed in the general theory. The analytic calculation of these derivatives, gives rise to a new integral that depends on the Euler–Lagrange vector itself (which in the continuous and exact case vanishes) and not on the Lagrangian. Since this new integral can only be computed through a numerical method based on some internal grid points, we can locally fit the exact curve by demanding the Euler–Lagrange vector to vanish at these grid points. Thus, the integral vanishes, and the process dramatically simplifies the calculation of high order approximations. The new technique is tested in high order solutions of the two-body problem with high eccentricity (up to 0.99) and of the outer planets of the solar system.     

General necessary conditions for infinite horizon fractional variational problems

We consider infinite horizon fractional variational problems, where the fractional derivative is defined in the sense of Caputo. Necessary optimality conditions for higher-order variational problems and optimal control problems are obtained. Transversality conditions are obtained in the case state functions are free at the initial time.     

A numerical technique for solving a class of fractional variational problems

This paper presents a numerical method for solving a class of fractional variational problems (FVPs) with multiple dependent variables, multi order fractional derivatives and a group of boundary conditions. The fractional derivative in the problem is in the Caputo sense. In the presented method, the given optimization problem reduces to a system of algebraic equations using polynomial basis functions. An approximate solution for the FVP is achieved by solving the system. The choice of polynomial basis functions provides the method with such a flexibility that initial and boundary conditions can be easily imposed. We extensively discuss the convergence of the method and finally present illustrative examples to demonstrate validity and applicability of the new technique.     

Fractional Piola identity and polyconvexity in fractional spaces

In this paper we address nonlocal vector variational principles obtained by substitution of the classical gradient by the Riesz fractional gradient. We show the existence of minimizers in Bessel fractional spaces under the main assumption of polyconvexity of the energy density, and, as a consequence, the existence of solutions to the associated Euler–Lagrange system of nonlinear fractional PDE. The main ingredient is the fractional Piola identity, which establishes that the fractional divergence of the cofactor matrix of the fractional gradient vanishes. This identity implies the weak convergence of the determinant of the fractional gradient, and, in turn, the existence of minimizers of the nonlocal energy. Contrary to local problems in nonlinear elasticity, this existence result is compatible with solutions presenting discontinuities at points and along hypersurfaces.     

Existence of solutions for a fractional advection-dispersion equation with impulsive effects via variational approach

In this paper, based on the variational approach and iterative technique, the existence of nontrivial weak solutions is derived for a fractional advection-dispersion equation with impulsive effects, and the nonlinear term of fractional advection-dispersion equation contain the fractional order derivative. In addition, an example is presented as an application of the main result.     

A numerical technique for solving fractional variational problems

This paper presents an accurate numerical method for solving a class of fractional variational problems (FVPs). The fractional derivative in these problems is in the Caputo sense. The proposed method is called fractional Chebyshev finite difference method. In this technique, we approximate FVPs and end up with a finite‐dimensional problem. The method is based on the combination of the useful properties of Chebyshev polynomials approximation and finite difference method. The Caputo fractional derivative is replaced by a difference quotient and the integral by a finite sum. The fractional derivative approximation using Clenshaw and Curtis formula introduced here, along with Clenshaw and Curtis procedure for the numerical integration of a non‐singular functions and the Rayleigh–Ritz method for the constrained extremum, is considered. By this method, the given problem is reduced to the problem for solving a system of algebraic equations, and by solving this system, we obtain the solution of FVPs. Special attention is given to study the convergence analysis and evaluate an error upper bound of the obtained approximate formula. Illustrative examples are included to demonstrate the validity and applicability of the proposed technique. A comparison with another method is given. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Existence of solutions for fractional differential equation with p-Laplacian through variational method

In this paper, a class of fractional differential equation with p-Laplacian operator is studied based on the variational approach. Combining the mountain pass theorem with iterative technique, the existence of at least one nontrivial solution for our equation is obtained. Additionally, we demonstrate the application of our main result through an example.     

Multiobjective fractional variational calculus in terms of a combined Caputo derivative

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.     

分数阶变分迭代法处理分数阶类Boussinesq方程

分数阶变分迭代法（FVIM）是一种处理分数阶微分方程的有效工具.用分数阶变分迭代法求解了时间分数阶类Boussinesq方程,并且作为一种特殊情况,得到了类Boussinesq方程B（2.2）的单孤子解.     

General techniques for constructing variational integrators

The numerical analysis of variational integrators relies on variational error analysis, which relates the order of accuracy of a variational integrator with the order of approximation of the exact discrete Lagrangian by a computable discrete Lagrangian. The exact discrete Lagrangian can either be characterized variationally, or in terms of Jacobi’s solution of the Hamilton-Jacobi equation. These two characterizations lead to the Galerkin and shooting constructions for discrete Lagrangians, which depend on a choice of a numerical quadrature formula, together with either a finite-dimensional function space or a one-step method. We prove that the properties of the quadrature formula, finite-dimensional function space, and underlying one-step method determine the order of accuracy and momentum-conservation properties of the associated variational integrators. We also illustrate these systematic methods for constructing variational integrators with numerical examples.     

Inverse problems for multi-valued quasi variational inequalities and noncoercive variational inequalities with noisy data

ABSTRACT

We study the inverse problem of identifying a variable parameter in variational and quasi-variational inequalities. We consider a quasi-variational inequality involving a multi-valued monotone map and give a new existence result. We then formulate the inverse problem as an optimization problem and prove its solvability. We also conduct a thorough study of the inverse problem of parameter identification in noncoercive variational inequalities which appear commonly in applied models. We study the inverse problem by posing optimization problems using the output least-squares and the modified output least-squares. Using regularization, penalization, and smoothing, we obtain a single-valued parameter-to-selection map and study its differentiability. We consider optimization problems using the output least-squares and the modified output least-squares for the regularized, penalized and smoothened variational inequality. We give existence results, convergence analysis, and optimality conditions. We provide applications and numerical examples to justify the proposed framework.     

Iterative processes for solving incorrect convex variational problems

The present paper is concerned with a general approach to the construction and the numerical analysis of stable methods solving semi-infinite convex programs and variational inequalities of elliptical type in case where the considered problems are incorrect. The approach which is based on the application of the PROX-regularization (cf. Martinet, 1970; Ekeland and Temam, 1976; Rockafellar, 1976; Brézis and Lions, 1978; Lemaire, 1988) secures the strong convergence of the minimizing sequence. The possibility of the algorithmical realization is described and depends on the smoothness properties of the solutions.Supported by Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft under grant Ti 191/1-1.     

A Gauss-Seidel iteration method for nonlinear variational inequality problems over rectangles

This paper presents a simple yet practically useful Gauss-Seidel iterative method for solving a class of nonlinear variational inequality problems over rectangles and of nonlinear complementarity problems. This scheme is a nonlinear generalization of a robust iterative method for linear complementarity problems developed by Mangasarian. Global convergence is presented for problems with Z-functions. It is noted that the suggested method can be viewed as a specific case of a class of linear approximation methods studied by Pang and others.