Heat equations in spectral Barron spaces

Abstract

Spectral Barron spaces, characterized by an \(L^1\)-based Fourier-Lebesgue norm, have earned significant attention in approximation theory due to their remarkable capacity to represent functions via shallow neural networks with controlled complexity. Meanwhile, recent theoretical advances have firmly established an intrinsic and profound connection between these function spaces and the regularity theory of elliptic partial differential equations. Building upon this foundational interplay, the present work undertakes a systematic and comprehensive investigation into the well-posedness of heat equations formulated within the spectral Barron spaces framework. Specifically, we rigorously establish the core aspects of well-posedness, including the existence, uniqueness, and stability of solutions, under suitable assumptions on the source terms and conductivity coefficients. We also investigate a typical parabolic inverse problem, namely the backward heat equation, for which we derive a logarithmic conditional stability estimate. To the best of our knowledge, this constitutes the first stability estimate for inverse problems within the spectral Barron space setting. Moreover, we extend our analytical results to address the more intricate setting of time-fractional heat equations, which govern anomalous diffusion phenomena and introduce nonlocal temporal memory effects. In this extended context, we provide a characterization of the corresponding heat kernels, deriving decay estimates, regularity properties, thereby enriching the theoretical landscape of evolutionary PDEs within the spectral Barron spaces setting.