A semilinear problem associated to the space-time fractional heat equation in $\mathbb{R}^N$

TL;DR

This paper investigates a nonlocal semilinear fractional heat equation involving Caputo time derivatives and fractional Laplacians, establishing conditions for existence, uniqueness, blow-up, and global solutions based on initial data and critical exponents.

Contribution

It introduces new criteria for solution behavior of fractional heat equations, extending classical results to nonlocal, fractional derivatives with a focus on critical exponents.

Findings

Solutions blow up in finite time if p < p_f

Global solutions exist for p ≥ p_f under certain conditions

Critical exponent p_f matches the classical Fujita exponent for α=1

Abstract

We study the fully nonlocal semilinear equation $\partial_t^\alpha u+(-\Delta)^\beta u=|u|^{p-1}u$, $p\ge1$, where $\partial_t^\alpha$ stands for the Caputo derivative of order $\alpha\in (0,1)$ and $(-\Delta)^\beta$, $\beta\in(0,1]$, is the usual $\beta$ power of the Laplacian. We prescribe an initial datum in $L^q(\mathbb{R}^N)$. We give conditions ensuring the existence and uniqueness of a solution living in $L^q(\mathbb{R}^N)$ up to a maximal existence time $T$ that may be finite or infinite. If~$T$ is finite, the $L^q$ norm of the solution becomes unbounded as time approaches $T$, and $u$ is said to blow up in $L^q$. Otherwise, the solution is global in time. For the case of nonnegative and nontrivial solutions, we give conditions on the initial datum that ensure either blow-up or global existence. It turns out that every nonnegative nontrivial solution in $L^q$ blows up in finite time if $1<p<p_f:=1+\frac{2\beta}N$ whereas if $p\ge p_f$ there are both solutions that blow up and global ones. The critical exponent $p_f$, which does not depend on $\alpha$, coincides with the Fujita exponent for the case $\alpha=1$, in which the time derivative is the standard (local) one. In contrast to the case $\alpha=1$, when $\alpha\in(0,1)$ the critical exponent $p=p_f$ falls within the situation in which global existence may occur. Our weakest condition for global existence and our condition for blow-up are both related to the size of the mean value of the initial datum in large balls.