Computing eigenelements of boundary value problems with fractional derivatives

Variational iteration method has been successfully implemented to handle linear and nonlinear differential equations. The main property of the method is its flexibility and ability to solve nonlinear equations accurately and conveniently. In this paper, first, a general framework of the variational iteration method is presented for analytic treatment of differential equations of fractional order where the fractional derivatives are described in Caputo sense. Second, the new framework is used to compute approximate eigenvalues and the corresponding eigenfunctions for boundary value problems with fractional derivatives. Numerical examples are tested to show the pertinent features of this method. This approach provides a new way to investigate eigenvalue problems with fractional order derivatives.