An inverse problem for identification of a time- and space-dependent memory kernel of a special kind in heat conduction (Q4943175)

The authors consider the problem of identifying the \(N\) unknown memory functions \(m_k:[0,T]\to {\mathbb R}\) \((k=1,\ldots,N)\) in the integro-differential parabolic one-dimensional equation \[ \begin{multlined}\beta(x) D_tu(x,t) = D_x[\lambda(x)D_xu(x,t)] -D_x\Biggl(\sum_{k=1}^N \mu_k(x) \int_0^t m_k(t-s)D_xu(x,s) ds\Biggr) + r(x,t),\\ (x,t)\in (0,1)\times (0,+\infty) \end{multlined}\tag{1} \] subject to the initial and boundary value conditions \[ (2)\quad u(x,0)=\varphi(x),\;\;x\in (0,1), \qquad (3)\quad u(0,t)=u(1,t)=0,\;\;t\in [0,\infty), \] and to the \(N\) additional conditions \[ -\lambda(x_i)D_xu(x_i,t)+\sum_{k=1}^N \mu_k(x_i)\int_0^t m_k(t-s)D_xu(x,s) ds = h_i(t),\qquad t\in [0,+\infty), \tag{4} \] where \(\beta\), \(\lambda\), \(r\), \(\varphi\) and \(h_i\) \((i=1,\ldots,N)\) are given smooth functions. Using Laplace transforms with respect to time, the authors reduce problem (1)--(4) to a non-linear equivalent Volterra system of the second kind whose kernels are related to the derivative \(D_xD_yG\) of the Green function associated with the boundary value problem \[ D_x[\lambda(x)D_xU(x,p)] - \beta(x)pU(x,p)=\delta_{x_0},\qquad x\in (0,1), \] \[ U(0,p)=U(1,p)=0, \] depending on the complex parameter \(p\), \(\text{ Re} p>\sigma\). \noindent Then, by a careful study of the asymptotic properties of the Green function \(G\), they prove that, under the condition \(\det (\mu_k(x_i)\varphi'(x_i))_{i,k=1,\ldots,N}\neq 0\), the fixed-point system is uniquely solvable for suitably smooth data.