Abstract
This research is concerned with the existence and uniqueness of solutions for a coupled system of –Riemann–Liouville fractional differential equations. To achieve this objective, we establish a set of necessary conditions by formulating the problem as an integral equation and utilizing well-known fixed-point theorems. By employing these mathematical tools, we demonstrate the existence and uniqueness of solutions for the proposed system. Additionally, to illustrate the practical implications of our findings, we provide several examples that showcase the main results obtained in this study.
1. Introduction
Numerous authors have tackled boundary value problems (BVPs) encompassing various types of fractional derivative operators, including, but not limited to, Caputo–Liouville, Riemann–Liouville, –Riemann–Liouville [1], Hilfer [2], –Riemann–Liouville [3], and –Hilfer [4]. Recent research papers [5,6,7] delve into multivalued BVPs that incorporate Hilfer and Caputo–Hadamard-type fractional derivative operators. To grasp the fundamental concepts of fractional calculus, consult references such as the book [8]. Notably, the Hilfer fractional derivative offers a unified definition for both Riemann–Liouville and Caputo fractional derivatives. For practical applications involving the Hilfer fractional derivative operator, readers are referred to [9,10,11,12]. Traditionally, derivatives are taken with respect to variables. However, fractional derivatives can also be taken with respect to other functions. This type of derivative is a generalization of the traditional derivative, and it is commonly used in fractional calculus to describe complex systems with non-integer-order dynamics. By taking the fractional derivative with respect to another function, researchers can better model the behavior of these systems and gain a deeper understanding of their underlying dynamics; for more details, see [13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20]. In recent years, fixed-point theory has emerged as a crucial tool in the analysis of differential equations, including fractional differential systems. The Banach Fixed-Point Theorem provides a foundational result, establishing conditions for the existence and uniqueness of fixed points for contraction mappings in complete metric spaces [21]. Further extending these ideas, Krasnoselskii’s fixed-point theorem handles mappings composed of a compact continuous operator and a contraction, broadening the scope of applicable systems [22]. The Nonlinear Alternative of the Leray–Schauder type provides another powerful tool, offering alternatives for the existence of fixed points in Banach spaces under compactness assumptions [23]. These theoretical advancements have found significant applications in the study of fractional differential equations. For instance, recent works have successfully applied fixed-point theorems to establish existence results for fractional pantograph equations and advection–diffusion equations under various initial and boundary conditions [24]. These contributions underscore the versatility of fixed-point theory in addressing complex problems in fractional calculus. The study of fractals and their applications in various fields has garnered significant attention in recent years. Fractals, which are complex structures characterized by self-similarity and fractional dimensions, have been found to be particularly useful in modeling and analyzing natural phenomena. For instance, recent research has demonstrated the effectiveness of fractal analysis in understanding complex systems and improving algorithmic approaches in mathematics and computer science (see [25,26]). In particular, advancements in mathematical methods have shown promise in enhancing our understanding of fractal dimensions and their applications in signal processing and image analysis [27]. These methods not only provide insights into the intrinsic properties of fractals but also open up new avenues for practical applications in various scientific and engineering disciplines. In recent studies [15,16,17], significant attention was directed towards establishing findings pertaining to a specific category of coupled system of fractional integral problems. These problems were associated with fractional differential equations (FDEs) and featured movable boundary conditions. In [28], the researchers focused their efforts on investigating and analyzing the following form of problem structure:
with , , and Recently, Rezapour [29] constructed a new analysis studying the problem
such that , and . In addition, the authors used the operator to deal with fraction derivatives according to Caputo’s definition. Furthermore, the continuous single-valued functions K and M, defined on are considered, taking values in . In [30], the authors proposed a new formulation, marking the first instance of a coupled system of three-point integral pantograph FDEs using the corresponding Caputo’s operators in
where stands for the corresponding Caputo’s derivatives of order with for , and denotes the RL-corresponding integral of order . Furthermore, with
are continuous for
In this work, we aim to extend the results of the aforementioned articles within the context of –Riemann–Liouville fractional derivatives. Specifically, we focus on the existence and uniqueness of solutions by employing Banach’s fixed-point theorem and Krasnoselskii’s fixed-point theorem, similar to the previous studies. Additionally, we introduce the use of another fixed-point theorem, the nonlinear alternative of the Leray–Schauder type. Furthermore, we explore the Ulam–Hyers stability of the solutions. The importance of –Riemann–Liouville fractional-order derivatives lies in their ability to generalize and extend traditional derivatives. For example, if we make , we obtain the classical Riemann–Liouville fractional operator, and if we make , we obtain the Hadamard fractional operator. Conversely, –Riemann–Liouville fractional-order derivatives enhance the ability to model and analyze systems with complex, non-local, or memory-dependent behaviors, making them a valuable tool in theoretical and applied contexts. In particular, we delve into the coupled fractional BVP formulation, which can be described as follows:
subject to the following mixed boundary conditions:
where denotes the –RL fractional derivative of order , , , , are the –RL fractional integrals with order , , respectively, and
The rest of the article is structured as follows: In Section 2, we recall the main tools, preliminaries, and basic definitions with useful auxiliary propositions to be used later. In Section 3, we state and prove the existence and uniqueness of the results for our main problem. To illustrate our results, a series of examples are presented and discussed in Section 4. Finally, a concluding section is given to summarize the main steps of our work.
2. Preliminary Findings and Essential Tools
We will commence this section by introducing the definitions associated with the coupled –Riemann–Liouville system (4) and (5).
Definition 1
([1]). For the integral
is referred to as the Riemann–Liouville fractional integral of order , where is the gamma function
Definition 2
([1]). For a continuous function , the equation
is called the Riemann–Liouville derivative of order
Definition 3
([31]). Consider a function that is integrable, and let be an increasing mapping satisfying the condition for all . The Ψ–Riemann–Liouville integral of order for the function φ is defined as:
Similarly, the Ψ–Riemann–Liouville derivative of order for the same function is given by:
where .
For any positive values of and a, the following semigroup specification holds true
In the case where , the -operators given in Definition 3 coincide with the classical Riemann–Liouville integral and derivative, as presented in Definitions 1 and 2, respectively. This establishes a direct correspondence between the -operators and the well-known Riemann–Liouville fractional operators. Conversely, when , the -operators return to the Hadamard fractional integral and derivative, as previously defined in references [1,31,32]. This relationship highlights the versatility of -operators, allowing them to encompass both the classical and Hadamard fractional operators depending on the choice of the weight function .
Lemma 1.
For , and , the following relation holds
Definition 4
([31]). Let with for all Then, we present the spaces
Theorem 1
(Banach’s fixed-point theorem [21,31]). Let be a non-empty Banach space, and let be a contraction mapping. That is, there exists a constant such that for all ,
Then, F has a unique fixed point (i.e., ).
Theorem 2
(The Nonlinear Alternative of the Leray–Schauder Type [31]). Let X be a convex closed subset of a Banach space Y. Let B be an open subset of X with , and let be a continuous and compact mapping.
Then, either:
- The mapping G has a fixed point in , or
- There exists and such that .
Theorem 3
((Krasnoselskii’s fixed-point theorem [22,31]). Let be a closed, bounded, convex, and nonempty subset of a Banach space Y. Moreover, let the operators and have the properties:
- for all ,
- is compact and continuous,
- is a contraction.
Then, so that .
To transform our problem into an equivalent integral equation, we require the following Proposition
Proposition 1.
Let , for i = 1, 2. Then, is a solution of the Problem
and it is equivalent to
and
where
with and
Proof.
Suppose that is the solution (6). Applying and on the first and second FDEs in (6), respectively, and by Lemma 1, we find
with constants , , , and . By exploiting the boundary conditions and in (13) and (14), we obtain and . By using the –RL fractional integral and derivative of order and , respectively, with , , we obtain
and
By replacing the values , , , and and using the second condition of (6), we obtain
and
where and are defined in (9) and (10), respectively, which leads to
and
Upon substituting the prescribed values for the constants and into Equations (13) and (14), we derive Equations (7) and (8).
We have
and
By using the –RL fractional derivative of order and on Equations (17) and (18), respectively, we obtain
We now check that the integral equations satisfy all three conditions.
- 1.
- From (17), we obtain .
- 2.
- For the second condition
- 3.
- Similarly, we obtain
Hence, the proof is completed.
A series of computations demonstrate that the converse aspect of the argument is valid. Hence, the proof is finalized. □
Let us consider as the space of continuous functions gifted with the norm . This makes a Banach space. Now, if we take the Cartesian product , and define the norm on this space as , we obtain another Banach space.
Using Proposition 1, we define the operator as
where
3. Results of Existence and Uniqueness
Here, we utilize Banach and Krasnoselskii fixed-point theorems and the Leray–Schauder nonlinear alternative (referenced as [33]) to to establish our main results of the existence and uniqueness . Together, these two powerful fixed-point theorems provide a solid theoretical foundation for analyzing and characterizing the solutions of (4) and (5).
Theorem 4.
Proof.
We define the set , such that
Then, under the assumptions (26) and (28), taking , we obtain
Analogously, we have
We obtain
which yields that , and since is an arbitrary element. Conversely, for , and , we obtain
Thus, we obtain
Similarly, one can find that
Thus, in view of (29) and (30) it follows that,
Considering the condition (27), it can be observed that the mapping F satisfies the criteria for being a contraction. Consequently, from Banach’s contraction, we conclude that F possesses a single, distinct fixed point. As a result, the problem (4) and (5) unequivocally possesses one solution within the interval . □
Theorem 5.
Proof.
Note that, since and are continuous, it follows that the mapping F is continuous as well. Moreover, we can demonstrate that F is also completely continuous.
Let us consider a bounded set S in . Thus, within this set, there exist positive constants and such that
Therefore, for all , we obtain
which yields
Analogously, one can obtain
Hence,
As a result, the operator F exhibits uniform boundedness. To demonstrate the equicontinuity of F, consider and in the interval such that . Consequently, we obtain
independently of . Hence, is equicontinuous. Similarly, we can establish the equicontinuity of . Hence, based on the preceding arguments, we can conclude that the operator is completely continuous.
Finally, we will demonstrate that the set
is bounded. Let , then for all and that
Thus, we have
Consequently, we obtain
which can be expressed as
where
Consequently, the Leray–Schauder alternative (Theorem 2) can be invoked, leading to the conclusion that the operator F possesses at least one fixed point. As a result, System (4) and (5) exhibits at least one solution on the interval . □
Theorem 6.
Consider the assumptions that and are continuous functions defined on , satisfying Condition (31) of Theorem 5. Additionally, we assume that:
Proof.
To start the decomposition process, we will express the operator F as a combination of four individual operators: , , , and , as
Observe that and Consider the set
with . Similarly to the proof of Theorem 5, one can derive:
and
Therefore, we obtain
Consequently, . Next, it will be established that the operator is a contraction. As demonstrated during the proof of Theorem 4, for , , one can find that
and
From Equations (33) and (34), we obtain
This indicates that the operator can be regarded as a contraction, thanks to the satisfaction of Condition (32). Moreover, considering the continuity properties of and , we can conclude that the operator is continuous. also, we have:
as
and
Thus, is uniformly bounded.
In the next step, we establish that the set is equicontinuous. For and for all , we have
independently of . Analogously, one can obtain that
Consequently, as approaches , then . This implies that exhibits equicontinuity. By applying the Arzel‘a–Ascoli theorem, we can deduce that the operator is compact on . Consequently, the conditions required by the Krasnoselskii fixed-point theorem (Theorem 3) are satisfied. Thus, we can conclude that the System (4) and (5) possesses at least one solution on the interval . □
4. Illustrative Examples
Example 1.
Consider the FBVP:
supplemented with the mixed boundary conditions
Here, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .
A simple computation gives:
Example 2.
Let us consider the system:
subject with the mixed boundary conditions
Here, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .
A simple computation leads to:
Consider the functions and defined as nonlinear Lipschitzian unbounded functions on the domain , given by:
Clearly, and with , , , , Moreover,
Consequently, based on the result obtained from Theorem 5, we can conclude that Problem (39) and (40) possesses at least one solution on the interval .
Example 3.
Consider the following FBVP:
subject with the mixed boundary conditions
Here, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .
By a simple computation, we obtain
Consider the functions and defined as nonlinear Lipschitzian unbounded functions on the domain , given by:
Then, we have
and
with Lipschitz constants , .
5. Conclusions and Perspectives
In this research, we have proven the existence, uniqueness, and stability of solutions for a coupled fractional differential system characterized by mixed boundary conditions and incorporating fractional –Riemann–Liouville operators. To solve this problem, we used a fixed-point approach by reformulating the original problem into an equivalent fixed-point problem, which allowed us to exploit specific fixed-point theorems due to Banach, Krasnoselskii, and Leray–Schauder, which are particularly appropriate for our analysis. It is important to note that the problem we investigated introduces a unique setup that extends the scope of traditional studies. The results of this work have broad applicability, offering insights that go beyond the limitations of previously investigated cases.
The techniques and results presented in this paper can be potentially generalized to other types of fractional differential equations and boundary conditions. Future research could explore these generalizations to broaden the applicability of the methods, while the paper focuses on analytical results, developing robust numerical methods to approximate solutions for the discussed fractional boundary values problems would be an important next step. This would help in validating the theoretical results and in solving real-world problems in which analytical solutions are difficult to obtain. The fractional differential equations studied in this paper have applications in various fields, including physics, engineering, and finance. Investigating specific applications in which these types of equations model real phenomena could lead to new insights and practical advancements.
Author Contributions
Writing—original draft preparation, A.A. and M.E.-H.M.; writing—review and editing, B.T. and L.A.; supervision, K.Z. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.
Funding
This research received no external funding.
Data Availability Statement
No new data were created or analyzed in this study. Data sharing is not applicable to this article.
Acknowledgments
The Researchers would like to thank the Deanship of Graduate Studies and Scientific Research at Qassim University for financial support (QU-APC-2024-9/1).
Conflicts of Interest
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
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