Fractional calculus is undergoing rapidly and ongoing development. We can already recognize, that within its framework new concepts and strategies emerge, which lead to new challenging insights and surprising correlations between different branches of physics. This book is an invitation both to the interested student and the professional researcher. It presents a thorough introduction to the basics of fractional calculus and guides the reader directly to the current state-of-the-art physical interpretation. It is also devoted to the application of fractional calculus on physical problems, in the subjects of classical mechanics, friction, damping, oscillations, group theory, quantum mechanics, nuclear physics, and hadron spectroscopy up to quantum field theory.

'The third edition of this book is designed to carefully and coherently introduce fractional calculus to physicists, by applying the ideas to two distinct applications: classical problems and multi-particle quantum problems. There remain many open questions and the field remains an active area of research. Dr Herrmann’s book is an excellent introduction to this field of study.'Contemporary PhysicsThe book presents a concise introduction to the basic methods and strategies in fractional calculus which enables the reader to catch up with the state-of-the-art in this field and to participate and contribute in the development of this exciting research area.This book is devoted to the application of fractional calculus on physical problems. The fractional concept is applied to subjects in classical mechanics, image processing, folded potentials in cluster physics, infrared spectroscopy, group theory, quantum mechanics, nuclear physics, hadron spectroscopy up to quantum field theory and will surprise the reader with new intriguing insights.This new, extended edition includes additional chapters about numerical solution of the fractional Schrödinger equation, self-similarity and the geometric interpretation of non-isotropic fractional differential operators. Motivated by the positive response, new exercises with elaborated solutions are added, which significantly support a deeper understanding of the general aspects of the theory.Besides students as well as researchers in this field, this book will also be useful as a supporting medium for teachers teaching courses devoted to this subject.

The first derivative of a particle coordinate means its velocity, the second means its acceleration, but what does a fractional order derivative mean? Where does it come from, how does it work, where does it lead to? The two-volume book written on high didactic level answers these questions. Fractional Derivatives for Physicists and Engineers— The first volume contains a clear introduction into such a modern branch of analysis as the fractional calculus. The second develops a wide panorama of applications of the fractional calculus to various physical problems. This book recovers new perspectives in front of the reader dealing with turbulence and semiconductors, plasma and thermodynamics, mechanics and quantum optics, nanophysics and astrophysics. The book is addressed to students, engineers and physicists, specialists in theory of probability and statistics, in mathematical modeling and numerical simulations, to everybody who doesn't wish to stay apart from the new mathematical methods becoming more and more popular. Prof. Vladimir V. UCHAIKIN is a known Russian scientist and pedagogue, a Honored Worker of Russian High School, a member of the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences. He is the author of about three hundreds articles and more than a dozen books (mostly in Russian) in Cosmic ray physics, Mathematical physics, Levy stable statistics, Monte Carlo methods with applications to anomalous processes in complex systems of various levels: from quantum dots to the Milky Way galaxy.

This book introduces a series of problems and methods insufficiently discussed in the field of Fractional Calculus – a major, emerging tool relevant to all areas of scientific inquiry. The authors present examples based on symbolic computation, written in Maple and Mathematica, and address both mathematical and computational areas in the context of mathematical modeling and the generalization of classical integer-order methods. Distinct from most books, the present volume fills the gap between mathematics and computer fields, and the transition from integer- to fractional-order methods.

When a new extraordinary and outstanding theory is stated, it has to face criticism and skeptism, because it is beyond the usual concept. The fractional calculus though not new, was not discussed or developed for a long time, particularly for lack of its application to real life problems. It is extraordinary because it does not deal with ‘ordinary’ differential calculus. It is outstanding because it can now be applied to situations where existing theories fail to give satisfactory results. In this book not only mathematical abstractions are discussed in a lucid manner, with physical mathematical and geometrical explanations, but also several practical applications are given particularly for system identification, description and then efficient controls. The normal physical laws like, transport theory, electrodynamics, equation of motions, elasticity, viscosity, and several others of are based on ‘ordinary’ calculus. In this book these physical laws are generalized in fractional calculus contexts; taking, heterogeneity effect in transport background, the space having traps or islands, irregular distribution of charges, non-ideal spring with mass connected to a pointless-mass ball, material behaving with viscous as well as elastic properties, system relaxation with and without memory, physics of random delay in computer network; and several others; mapping the reality of nature closely. The concept of fractional and complex order differentiation and integration are elaborated mathematically, physically and geometrically with examples. The practical utility of local fractional differentiation for enhancing the character of singularity at phase transition or characterizing the irregularity measure of response function is deliberated. Practical results of viscoelastic experiments, fractional order controls experiments, design of fractional controller and practical circuit synthesis for fractional order elements are elaborated in this book. The book also maps theory of classical integer order differential equations to fractional calculus contexts, and deals in details with conflicting and demanding initialization issues, required in classical techniques. The book presents a modern approach to solve the ‘solvable’ system of fractional and other differential equations, linear, non-linear; without perturbation or transformations, but by applying physical principle of action-and-opposite-reaction, giving ‘approximately exact’ series solutions. Historically, Sir Isaac Newton and Gottfried Wihelm Leibniz independently discovered calculus in the middle of the 17th century. In recognition to this remarkable discovery, J.von Neumann remarked, “...the calculus was the first achievement of modern mathematics and it is difficult to overestimate its importance. I think it defines more equivocally than anything else the inception of modern mathematical analysis which is logical development, still constitute the greatest technical advance in exact thinking.” This XXI century has thus started to ‘think-exactly’ for advancement in science & technology by growing application of fractional calculus, and this century has started speaking the language which nature understands the best.

In this book, not only are mathematical abstractions discussed in a lucid manner, but also several practical applications are given particularly for system identification, description and then efficient controls. The reader gets a feeling of the wide applicability of fractional calculus in the field of science and engineering. With this book, a starter can understand the concepts of this emerging field with a minimal effort and basic mathematics.

Fractional calculus was first developed by pure mathematicians in the middle of the 19th century. Some 100 years later, engineers and physicists have found applications for these concepts in their areas. However there has traditionally been little interaction between these two communities. In particular, typical mathematical works provide extensive findings on aspects with comparatively little significance in applications, and the engineering literature often lacks mathematical detail and precision. This book bridges the gap between the two communities. It concentrates on the class of fractional derivatives most important in applications, the Caputo operators, and provides a self-contained, thorough and mathematically rigorous study of their properties and of the corresponding differential equations. The text is a useful tool for mathematicians and researchers from the applied sciences alike. It can also be used as a basis for teaching graduate courses on fractional differential equations.