107 research outputs found
Numerical methods for time-fractional evolution equations with nonsmooth data: a concise overview
Over the past few decades, there has been substantial interest in evolution
equations that involving a fractional-order derivative of order
in time, due to their many successful applications in
engineering, physics, biology and finance. Thus, it is of paramount importance
to develop and to analyze efficient and accurate numerical methods for reliably
simulating such models, and the literature on the topic is vast and fast
growing. The present paper gives a concise overview on numerical schemes for
the subdiffusion model with nonsmooth problem data, which are important for the
numerical analysis of many problems arising in optimal control, inverse
problems and stochastic analysis. We focus on the following aspects of the
subdiffusion model: regularity theory, Galerkin finite element discretization
in space, time-stepping schemes (including convolution quadrature and L1 type
schemes), and space-time variational formulations, and compare the results with
that for standard parabolic problems. Further, these aspects are showcased with
illustrative numerical experiments and complemented with perspectives and
pointers to relevant literature.Comment: 24 pages, 3 figure
Crank-Nicolson finite difference method for two-dimensional fractional sub-diffusion equation
A Crank-Nicolson finite difference method is presented to solve the time fractional two-dimensional sub-diffusion
equation in the case where the Gr¨unwald-Letnikov definition is used for the time-fractional derivative. The stability
and convergence of the proposed Crank-Nicolson scheme are also analyzed. Finally, numerical examples are presented
to test that the numerical scheme is accurate and feasible
Subdiffusion in Membrane Permeation of Small Molecules
Citation: Chipot, C. and Comer, J. Subdiffusion in Membrane Permeation of Small Molecules. Sci. Rep. 6, 35913; doi: 10.1038/srep35913 (2016).Within the solubility–diffusion model of passive membrane permeation of small molecules, translocation of the permeant across the biological membrane is traditionally assumed to obey the Smoluchowski diffusion equation, which is germane for classical diffusion on an inhomogeneous free-energy and diffusivity landscape. This equation, however, cannot accommodate subdiffusive regimes, which have long been recognized in lipid bilayer dynamics, notably in the lateral diffusion of individual lipids. Through extensive biased and unbiased molecular dynamics simulations, we show that one-dimensional translocation of methanol across a pure lipid membrane remains subdiffusive on timescales approaching typical permeation times. Analysis of permeant motion within the lipid bilayer reveals that, in the absence of a net force, the mean squared displacement depends on time as t0.7, in stark contrast with the conventional model, which assumes a strictly linear dependence. We further show that an alternate model using a fractional-derivative generalization of the Smoluchowski equation provides a rigorous framework for describing the motion of the permeant molecule on the pico- to nanosecond timescale. The observed subdiffusive behavior appears to emerge from a crossover between small-scale rattling of the permeant around its present position in the membrane and larger-scale displacements precipitated by the formation of transient voids
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