On Hadamard fractional integro-differential boundary value problems (Q2354191)

The authors consider a fractional boundary value problem subject to some integral-type boundary conditions. In particular, the problem \[ D^{\alpha}x(t)=f(t,x(t)),\;1<t<e,\;1<\alpha\leq2 \] subject to the boundary conditions \[ x(1)=0 \] and \[ x(e)=\frac{1}{\Gamma(\beta)}\int_1^e\left(\ln{\frac{e}{s}}\right)^{\beta-1}\frac{x(s)}{s}\;ds,\;\beta>0 \] is considered. In the above problem, the fractional derivative utilized is the so-called Hadamard-type, which is similar to (but ultimately slightly different than) the well-known Riemann-Liouville fractional derivative. Solutions are investigated by converting the boundary value problem to an associated integral operator and then determining fixed points of the associated operator. The authors use a variety of methods to determine fixed points, including both the Banach fixed point theorem (by showing that their operator is a contraction mapping) and the Leray-Schauder degree theory. Two helpful examples conclude the paper. All in all, this is a nicely written article that is very easy to read, and researchers interested in boundary value problems, especially those of fractional order, will find this to be a pleasant article to study.