Generalized Newtonian fractional model for the vertical motion of a particle

Abstract Based on the Riemann-Liouville (R-L) fractional derivative and the generalized Newtonian law of gravitation, the nonlinear fractional differential equation describing the vertical motion of a particle is solved. Such solution is investigated to obtain the escape velocity (EV) following the fractional Newtonian mechanics. It is well known that the EV from the Earth’s gravitational field is about 11.18 km/s within the paradigm of the classical Newtonian mechanics using integer derivatives, but its value has not been yet determined in the scope of fractional calculus. Therefore, we can pose the question: Is the classical value of the EV identical when analyzed under the light of the fractional mechanics? The paper answers this question for the first time. It is found that the fractional escape velocity (FEV) depends on the non-integer order α and a parameter σ with dimension of seconds. The general relation between σ and α is established. The results reveal that the values of the FEV approaches the classical one when α → 1 and σ ≈ 5 × 103 seconds.