We present a novel definition of variable-order fractional Laplacian on Rn based on a natural generalization of the standard Riesz potential. Our definition holds for values of the fractional parameter spanning the entire open set (0, n/2). We then d
iscuss some properties of the fractional Poissons equation involving this operator and we compute the corresponding Green function, for which we provide some instructive examples for specific problems.
Several approaches to the formulation of a fractional theory of calculus of variable order have appeared in the literature over the years. Unfortunately, most of these proposals lack a rigorous mathematical framework. We consider an alternative view
on the problem, originally proposed by G. Scarpi in the early seventies, based on a naive modification of the representation in the Laplace domain of standard kernels functions involved in (constant-order) fractional calculus. We frame Scarpis ideas within recent theory of General Fractional Derivatives and Integrals, that mostly rely on the Sonine condition, and investigate the main properties of the emerging variable-order operators. Then, taking advantage of powerful and easy-to-use numerical methods for the inversion of Laplace transforms of functions defined in the Laplace domain, we discuss some practical applications of the variable-order Scarpi integral and derivative.
In this note we consider generalized diffusion equations in which the diffusivity coefficient is not necessarily constant in time, but instead it solves a nonlinear fractional differential equation involving fractional Riemann-Liouville time-derivati
ve. Our main contribution is to highlight the link between these generalised equations and fractional Brownian motion (fBm). In particular, we investigate the governing equation of fBm and show that its diffusion coefficient must satisfy an additive evolutive fractional equation. We derive in a similar way the governing equation of the iterated fractional Brownian motion.
