A linear algorithm for the identification of a weakly singular relaxation kernel using two boundary measurements

Abstract: We consider a distributed system of a type which is encountered in the study of diffusion processes with memory and in viscoelasticity. The key feature of such system is the persistence in the future of the past actions due the memory described via a certain relaxation kernel, see below. The parameters of the kernel have to be inferred from experimental measurements. Our main result in this paper is that by using two boundary measurements the identification of a relaxation kernel which is linear combination of Abel kernels (as often assumed in applications) can be reduced to the solution of a (linear) deconvolution problem.