Bilinear optimal control for the fractional Laplacian: error estimates on Lipschitz domains

We adopt the integral definition of the fractional Laplace operator and study, on Lipschitz domains, an optimal control problem that involves a fractional elliptic partial differential equation (PDE) as state equation and a control variable that enters the state equation as a coefficient; pointwise constraints on the control variable are considered as well. We establish the existence of optimal solutions and analyze first and, necessary and sufficient, second order optimality conditions. Regularity estimates for optimal variables are also analyzed. We devise two strategies of finite element discretization: a semidiscrete scheme where the control variable is not discretized and a fully discrete scheme where the control variable is discretized with piecewise constant functions. For both solution techniques, we analyze convergence properties of discretizations and derive error estimates.