On fractional higher-order Dirichlet boundary value problems: between the Laplacian and the bilaplacian

Abstract: The solutions of boundary value problems for the Laplacian and the bilaplacian exhibit very different qualitative behaviors. Particularly, the failure of general maximum principles for the bilaplacian implies that solutions of higher-order problems are less rigid and more complex. One way to better understand this transition is to study the intermediate Dirichlet problem in terms of fractional Laplacians. This survey aims to be an introduction to these type of problems; in particular, the different pointwise notions for these operators is introduced considering a suitable natural extension of the Dirichlet boundary conditions for the fractional setting. Solutions are obtained variationally and, in the case of the ball, via explicit kernels. The validity of maximum principles for these intermediate problems is also discussed as well as the limiting behavior of solutions when approaching the Laplacian or the bilaplacian case.