Maximum principles for a fully nonlinear fractional order equation and symmetry of solutions (Q526930)

The authors consider equations involving fully nonlinear non-local operators involving fractional derivatives of order \(\alpha\). Such kind of operators were introduced by Caffarelli and Silvestre. A maximum principle is proved. The method of moving planes plays a crucial role to establish radial symmetry and monotonicity for positive solutions to Dirichlet problems associated to such fully nonlinear fractional order equations in the unit ball and in the whole space, as well as the non-existence of solutions on the half space. The limit of this operator when \(\alpha\) coverges to 2 is also studied.