Time second-order finite difference/finite element algorithm for nonlinear time-fractional diffusion problem with fourth-order derivative term

In this article, we study and analyze a Galerkin mixed finite element (MFE) method combined with time second-order discrete scheme for solving nonlinear time fractional diffusion equation with fourth-order derivative term. We firstly introduce an auxiliary variable σ=△u, reduce the fourth-order problem into a coupled system with two equations, discretize the obtained coupled system at time tk−α2 by a second-order difference scheme with second-order approximation for fractional derivative, then formulate mixed weak formulation and fully discrete MFE scheme. Further, we give the detailed proof for stability of scheme, the existence and uniqueness of MFE solution, and a priori error estimates. Finally, by some numerical computations, we test the theoretical results, which illustrate that we can obtain the numerical results for two variables, moreover, we arrive at second-order time convergence orders, which are higher than the ones yielded by the L1-approximation.