Convolution kernel determination problem for the time-fractional diffusion equation (Q6198210)

The author considers the following one dimensional anomalously diffusive equation with convolution kernel: \[ \partial_{t}^{\alpha} u - u_{xx} - \int_{0}^{t} k(\tau) u(x,t-\tau) \, dt = f(x,t) ,\quad t>0,\quad x\in\mathbb{R} \] with the initial condition \(u(x,0)=\varphi(x)\) for \(x\in\mathbb{R}\), where \(\partial_{t}^{\alpha}\) is the Caputo derivative of order \(0<\alpha<1\). The main theme of this paper is to study the following inverse problem: Determine the kernel \(k(t)\) (\(t>0\)) from the knowledge of the boundary measurement \(u(0,t)\) (\(t>0\)). By reducing the inverse problem into the equivalent integral equation of the Volterra type and using the contraction mapping principle, the author proves a local existence result in Theorem~4.1 and a stability estimate in Theorem~4.2 (see also the uniqueness result in Theorem~4.3, which is an immediate corollary of Theorem~4.2).