Abstract
A Robin boundary sub-diffusion equation is considered with fractional partial derivatives of the Caputo type. The model is an extension of various well-known equations from mathematical physics, biology, and chemistry. Initial–boundary data are imposed upon a closed and bounded spatial domain. We state and prove two main theorems in differential and difference settings to ensure the algebraic decay rate of the long-time behavior for that kind of problem. The dissipation of the continuous solution for such a problem is discussed in the first theorem based on energy inequalities and by the aid of Grönwall inequalities. It demonstrates that with an L2(Ω)-bounded absorbing set, the solution is dissipated with respect to time. The numerical dissipativity is proved in the second theorem by using discrete energy inequalities and the discrete Paley–Wiener inequality. Finally, an example is provided to illustrate the main outcomes.