Subordination approach to multi-term time-fractional diffusion-wave equations

This paper is concerned with the fractional evolution equation with a discrete distribution of Caputo time-derivatives such that the largest and the smallest orders, $\alpha$ and $\alpha_m$, satisfy the conditions $1<\alpha\le 2$ and $\alpha-\alpha_m\le 1$. First, based on a study of the related propagation function, the nonnegativity of the fundamental solutions to the spatially one-dimensional Cauchy and signaling problems is proven and propagation speed of a disturbance is discussed. Next, we study the equation with a general linear spatial differential operator defined in a Banach space and suppose it generates a cosine family. A subordination principle is established, which implies the existence of a unique solution and gives an integral representation of the solution operator in terms of the corresponding cosine family and a probability density function. Explicit representation of the probability density function is derived. The subordination principle is applied for obtaining regularity results. The analytical findings are supported by numerical work.