On invariant analysis and conservation law for fractional differential equations with mixed fractional derivative: Time-fractional Fokas–Lenells equation

Abstract

This paper provides extensions of the methods of Lie symmetry group and nonlinear self–adjointness to fractional differential equations involving mixed derivatives of Riemann–Liouville time-fractional derivative and first-order partial derivative. We present explicitly the general prolongation formulae expressing the action of Lie group on the mixed fractional derivatives and the expressions of conserved vectors in conservation laws. Moreover, the obtained results are used to investigate the symmetry groups and conservation laws of time-fractional Fokas–Lenells equation, whose exact solution and nontrivial conservation law are thereby constructed.