Thermal boundary conditions in fractional superdiffusion of energy

TL;DR

This paper derives the macroscopic boundary conditions for fractional superdiffusive energy transport in a finite one-dimensional chain with heat baths, linking microscopic dynamics to non-local boundary effects.

Contribution

It provides the first rigorous derivation of boundary conditions for fractional superdiffusion from microscopic models with local interactions.

Findings

Hydrodynamic limit established for finite chain with heat baths.

Derived non-local boundary conditions involving explicit kernels.

Identified differences from diffusive and pinned-chain cases.

Abstract

We study heat conduction in a one-dimensional {finite}, unpinned chain of atoms perturbed by stochastic momentum exchange and coupled to Langevin heat baths at {possibly} distinct temperatures placed at the endpoints of the chain. While infinite systems without boundaries are known to exhibit superdiffusive energy transport described by a fractional heat equation with the generator $-|\Delta|^{3/4}$, the corresponding boundary conditions induced by heat baths remain less understood. We establish the hydrodynamic limit for a finite chain with $n+1$ atoms connected to thermostats at the endpoints, deriving the macroscopic evolution of the averaged energy profile. The limiting equation is governed by a non-local L\'evy-type operator, with boundary terms determined by explicit interaction kernels that encode absorption, reflection, and transmission of long-wavelength phonons at the baths. Our results provide the first rigorous identification of boundary conditions for fractional superdiffusion arising directly from microscopic dynamics with local interactions, highlighting their distinction from both diffusive and pinned-chain settings