A comment on a controversial issue: a Generalized Fractional Derivative cannot have a regular kernel

Abstract

The problem whether a given pair of functions can be used as the kernels of a generalized fractional derivative and the associated generalized fractional integral is reduced to the problem of existence of a solution to the Sonine equation. It is shown for some selected classes of functions that a necessary condition for a function to be the kernel of a fractional derivative is an integrable singularity at 0. It is shown that locally integrable completely monotone functions satisfy the Sonine equation if and only if they are singular at 0.