Two kinds of numerical algorithms for ultra-slow diffusion equations

Abstract: In this article, two kinds of numerical algorithms are derived for the ultra-slow (or superslow) diffusion equation in one and two space dimensions, where the ultra-slow diffusion is characterized by the Caputo-Hadamard fractional derivative of order $\alpha \in (0,1)$. To describe the spatial interaction, the Riesz fractional derivative and the fractional Laplacian are used in one and two space dimensions, respectively. The Caputo-Hadamard derivative is discretized by two typical approximate formulae, i.e., L2-1${\sigma}$ and L1-2 methods. The spatial fractional derivatives are discretized by the 2-nd order finite difference methods. When L2-1${\sigma}$ discretization is used, the derived numerical scheme is unconditionally stable with error estimate $\mathcal{O}(\tau^{2}+h^{2})$ for all $\alpha \in (0, 1)$, in which $\tau$ and $h$ are temporal and spatial stepsizes, respectively. When L1-2 discretization is used, the derived numerical scheme is stable with error estimate $\mathcal{O}(\tau^{3-\alpha}+h^{2})$ for $\alpha \in (0, 0.3738)$. The illustrative examples displayed are in line with the theoretical analysis.