Global existence and convergence results for a class of nonlinear time fractional diffusion equation

Abstract

Abstract This paper investigates Cauchy problems of nonlinear parabolic equation with a Caputo fractional derivative. When the initial datum is sufficiently small in some appropriate spaces, we demonstrate the existence in global time and uniqueness of a mild solution in fractional Sobolev spaces using some novel techniques. Under some suitable assumptions on the initial datum, we show that the mild solution of the time fractional parabolic equation converges to the mild solution of the classical problem when α → 1 − . Under some appropriate assumptions on the initial datum, we show that the mild solution of the time fractional diffusion equation converges to the mild solution of the classical problem when α → 1 − . Our theoretical results can be widely applied to many different equations such as the Hamilton–Jacobi equation, the Navier–Stokes equation in two cases: the fractional derivative and the classical derivative. Our paper also provides a completely new answer to the related open problem of convergence of solutions to fractional diffusion equations as the order of fractional derivative approaches 1−.