Fractional Laplacian matrix on the finite periodic linear chain and its periodic Riesz fractional derivative continuum limit

TL;DR

This paper introduces a finite periodic fractional Laplacian matrix for a 1D chain, derives its continuum limit as a Riesz fractional derivative, and explores its properties and applications in fractional calculus and physics.

Contribution

It provides explicit forms of the fractional Laplacian matrix on finite periodic chains and its continuum limit, connecting discrete models to fractional derivatives in a finite domain.

Findings

Explicit finite chain fractional Laplacian matrix derived

Continuum limit yields explicit Riesz fractional derivative kernel

Recovers classical Laplacians for integer orders and infinite domain

Abstract

The 1D discrete fractional Laplacian operator on a cyclically closed (periodic) linear chain with finitenumber $N$ of identical particles is introduced. We suggest a "fractional elastic harmonic potential", and obtain the $N$-periodic fractionalLaplacian operator in the form of a power law matrix function for the finite chain ($N$ arbitrary not necessarily large) in explicit form.In the limiting case $N\rightarrow \infty$ this fractional Laplacian matrix recovers the fractional Laplacian matrix ofthe infinite chain.The lattice model contains two free material constants, the particle mass $\mu$ and a frequency$\Omega\_{\alpha}$.The "periodic string continuum limit" of the fractional lattice model is analyzed where lattice constant $h\rightarrow 0$and length $L=Nh$ of the chain ("string") is kept finite: Assuming finiteness of the total mass and totalelastic energy of the chain in the continuum limit leads to asymptotic scaling behavior for $h\rightarrow 0$ of thetwo material constants,namely $\mu \sim h$ and $\Omega\_{\alpha}^2 \sim h^{-\alpha}$. In this way we obtain the $L$-periodic fractional Laplacian (Riesz fractional derivative) kernel in explicit form.This $L$-periodic fractional Laplacian kernel recovers for $L\rightarrow\infty$the well known 1D infinite space fractional Laplacian (Riesz fractional derivative) kernel. When the scaling exponentof the Laplacian takesintegers, the fractional Laplacian kernel recovers, respectively, $L$-periodic and infinite space (localized) distributionalrepresentations of integer-order Laplacians.The results of this paper appear to beuseful for the analysis of fractional finite domain problems for instance in anomalous diffusion (L\'evy flights), fractional Quantum Mechanics,and the development of fractional discrete calculus on finite lattices.