Integral equations of the first kind of Sonine type

Abstract

A Volterra integral equation of the first kindKφ(x):≡∫−∞xk(x−t)φ(t)dt=f(x)with a locally integrable kernelk(x)∈L1loc(ℝ+1)is called Sonine equation if there exists another locally integrable kernelℓ(x)such that∫0xk(x−t)ℓ(t)dt≡1(locally integrable divisors of the unit, with respect to the operation of convolution). The formal inversionφ(x)=(d/dx)∫0xℓ(x−t)f(t)dtis well known, but it does not work, for example, on solutions in the spacesX=Lp(ℝ1)and is not defined on the whole rangeK(X). We develop many properties of Sonine kernels which allow us—in a very general case—to construct the real inverse operator, within the framework of the spacesLp(ℝ1), in Marchaud form:K−1f(x)=ℓ(∞)f(x)+∫0∞ℓ′(t)[f(x−t)−f(x)]dtwith the interpretation of the convergence of this “hypersingular” integral inLp-norm. The description of the rangeK(X)is given; it already requires the language of Orlicz spaces even in the case whenXis the Lebesgue spaceLp(ℝ1).