Tikhonov regularization method for a backward problem for the inhomogeneous time-fractional diffusion equation

Fractional (nonlocal) diffusion equations replace the integer-order derivatives in space and time by their fractional-order analogs and they are used to model anomalous diffusion, especially in physics. In this paper, we study a backward problem for an inhomogeneous time-fractional diffusion equation with variable coefficients in a general bounded domain. Such a backward problem is of practically great importance because we often do not know the initial density of substance, but we can observe the density at a positive moment. The backward problem is ill-posed and we propose a regularizing scheme by using Tikhonov regularization method. We also prove the convergence rate for the regularized solution by using an a priori regularization parameter choice rule. Numerical examples illustrate applicability and high accuracy of the proposed method.