On the notion of fractional derivative and applications to the hysteresis phenomena

In the first part of the paper, we discuss on the general properties of a fractional derivative. In particular we found that the definition presented in Caputo and Fabrizio (Prog Fract Differ Appl 1(2):73–85, 2015 ) satisfies these general conditions, including the non-locality. So by means of numerical simulations we have shown different behaviors of this new operator with respect to Caputo’s derivative. In particular we have shown that the memory effects are less evident when we consider the new derivative. Finally, in the second part, a model for the study of the magnetic hysteresis phenomena is presented. The thermodynamic compatibility is proven, and a checking of the model is tested with some numerical simulations.