Properties of the Katugampola fractional derivative with potential application in quantum mechanics

Katugampola [e-print arXiv: 1410.6535] recently introduced a limit based fractional derivative, D-alpha (referred to in this work as the Katugampola fractional derivative) that maintains many of the familiar properties of standard derivatives such as the product, quotient, and chain rules. Typically, fractional derivatives are handled using an integral representation and, as such, are non-local in character. The current work starts with a key property of the Katugampola fractional derivative, D-alpha[y] = t(1-alpha)dy/dt, and the associated differential operator, D-alpha = t(1-alpha)D(1). These operators, their inverses, commutators, anti-commutators, and several important differential equations are studied. The anti-commutator serves as a basis for the development of a self-adjoint operator which could potentially be useful in quantum mechanics. A Hamiltonian is constructed from this operator and applied to the particle in a box model. (C) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC.