Solving PDE with Laplace Transform – Non Homogenous ODE

laplace transformordinary differential equationspartial differential equations

Given the following PDE:

$$u_{tt}(x,t)-u_{xx}(x,t)=e^{-t}$$

$$-\infty <x<+ \infty , t>0$$
$$u(x,0)=0,u_t(x,0)=\frac{1}{1+x^2}$$

solve it by using the Laplace transform.

Here's my attempt so far:

Let $$\mathcal L \{u(x,t) \} \equiv U(x,s)\equiv\int_0^\infty u(x,t)e^{-st} \,dt .$$

and the result I've calculated is:

$$U_{xx}(x,s)-s^2 U(x,s) = -\frac{1}{1+x^2}-\frac{1}{s+1}=f(x,s)$$

I've concluded that the relation above is a non-homogenous 2nd order ODE in respect to the variable x. I have tried to solve it but so far it hasn't worked.

Which method do you think would be the best to solve it? Could you provide some guiding steps?

Best Answer

I think initial conditions is $$u(x,0)=0,u_t(x,0)=\frac{1}{1+x^2}$$ Solve using d’Alembert’s formula http://www.math.usm.edu/lambers/mat606/lecture12.pdf

I get solution $$u(x,t) =\frac{\operatorname{atan}\left( x+t\right) -\operatorname{atan}\left( x-t\right) }{2}+e^{-t}+t-1$$