In
fractional calculus, an area of
mathematical analysis
Analysis is the branch of mathematics dealing with continuous functions, limit (mathematics), limits, and related theories, such as Derivative, differentiation, Integral, integration, measure (mathematics), measure, infinite sequences, series ( ...
, the differintegral is a combined
differentiation/
integration operator. Applied to a
function ƒ, the ''q''-differintegral of ''f'', here denoted by
:
is the
fractional derivative
Fractional calculus is a branch of mathematical analysis that studies the several different possibilities of defining real number powers or complex number powers of the differentiation operator D
D f(x) = \frac f(x)\,,
and of the integration ...
(if ''q'' > 0) or
fractional integral
Fractional calculus is a branch of mathematical analysis that studies the several different possibilities of defining real number powers or complex number powers of the derivative, differentiation operator (mathematics), operator D
D f(x) = \fra ...
(if ''q'' < 0). If ''q'' = 0, then the ''q''-th differintegral of a function is the function itself. In the context of fractional integration and differentiation, there are several definitions of the differintegral.
Standard definitions
The four most common forms are:
*The
Riemann–Liouville differintegralThis is the simplest and easiest to use, and consequently it is the most often used. It is a generalization of the
Cauchy formula for repeated integration to arbitrary order. Here,
.
*The
Grunwald–Letnikov differintegralThe Grunwald–Letnikov differintegral is a direct generalization of the definition of a
derivative
In mathematics, the derivative is a fundamental tool that quantifies the sensitivity to change of a function's output with respect to its input. The derivative of a function of a single variable at a chosen input value, when it exists, is t ...
. It is more difficult to use than the Riemann–Liouville differintegral, but can sometimes be used to solve problems that the Riemann–Liouville cannot.
*The
Weyl differintegral This is formally similar to the Riemann–Liouville differintegral, but applies to
periodic function
A periodic function, also called a periodic waveform (or simply periodic wave), is a function that repeats its values at regular intervals or periods. The repeatable part of the function or waveform is called a ''cycle''. For example, the t ...
s, with integral zero over a period.
*The
Caputo differintegralIn opposite to the Riemann-Liouville differintegral, Caputo derivative of a constant
is equal to zero. Moreover, a form of the Laplace transform allows to simply evaluate the initial conditions by computing finite, integer-order derivatives at point
.
Definitions via transforms
The definitions of fractional derivatives given by Liouville, Fourier, and Grunwald and Letnikov coincide. They can be represented via Laplace, Fourier transforms or via Newton series expansion.
Recall the
continuous Fourier transform
In mathematics, the Fourier transform (FT) is an integral transform that takes a function (mathematics), function as input then outputs another function that describes the extent to which various Frequency, frequencies are present in the origin ...
, here denoted
:
Using the continuous Fourier transform, in Fourier space, differentiation transforms into a multiplication: