Stable manifolds for nonautonomous equations without exponential dichotomy

We consider nonautonomous ordinary differential equations v^′=A(t)v in Banach spaces and, under fairly general assumptions, we show that for any sufficiently small perturbation f there exists a stable invariant manifold for the perturbed equation v^′=A(t)v+f(t,v), which corresponds to the set of negative Lyapunov exponents of the original linear equation. The main assumption is the existence of a nonuniform exponential dichotomy with a small nonuniformity, i.e., a small deviation from the classical notion of (uniform) exponential dichotomy. In fact, we showed that essentially any linear equation v^′=A(t)v admits a nonuniform exponential dichotomy and thus, the above assumption only concerns the smallness of the nonuniformity of the dichotomy. This smallness is a rather common phenomenon at least from the point of view of ergodic theory: almost all linear variational equations obtained from a measure-preserving flow admit a nonuniform exponential dichotomy with arbitrarily small nonuniformity. We emphasize that we do not need to assume the existence of a uniform exponential dichotomy and that we never require the nonuniformity to be arbitrarily small, only sufficiently small. Our approach is related to the notion of Lyapunov regularity, which goes back to Lyapunov himself although it is apparently somewhat forgotten today in the theory of differential equations.     

Center manifolds depending on a parameter

For differential equations u^′=A(t)u+f(t,u,λ) obtained from sufficiently small C¹ perturbations of a nonuniform exponential trichotomy, we establish the C¹ dependence of the center manifolds on the parameter λ. Our proof uses the fiber contraction principle to establish the regularity property. We note that our argument also applies to linear perturbations, without further changes.     

Smooth invariant manifolds in Banach spaces with nonuniform exponential dichotomy

We establish the existence of smooth stable manifolds for semiflows defined by ordinary differential equations v^′=A(t)v+f(t,v) in Banach spaces, assuming that the linear equation v^′=A(t)v admits a nonuniform exponential dichotomy. Our proof of the Ck smoothness of the manifolds uses a single fixed point problem in the unit ball of the space of Ck functions with α-Hölder continuous kth derivative. This is a closed subset of the space of continuous functions with the supremum norm, by an apparently not so well-known lemma of Henry (see Proposition 3). The estimates showing that the functions maintain the original bounds when transformed under the fixed-point operator are obtained through a careful application of the Faà di Bruno formula for the higher derivatives of the compositions (see (31) and (35)). As a consequence, we obtain in a direct manner not only the exponential decay of solutions along the stable manifolds but also of their derivatives up to order k when the vector field is of class Ck.     

Parameter dependence of stable manifolds under nonuniform hyperbolicity

For a nonautonomous linear equation v^′=A(t)v in a Banach space with a nonuniform exponential dichotomy, we show that the nonlinear equation v^′=A(t)v+f(t,v,λ) has stable invariant manifolds Vλ which are Lipschitz in the parameter λ provided that f is a sufficiently small Lipschitz perturbation. Since any linear equation with nonzero Lyapunov exponents has a nonuniform exponential dichotomy, the above assumption is very general. We emphasize that passing from a classical uniform exponential dichotomy to a general nonuniform exponential dichotomy requires a substantially new approach.     

Smooth stable invariant manifolds and arbitrary growth rates

For nonautonomous linear equations v^′=A(t)v with a generalized exponential dichotomy, we show that there is a smooth stable invariant manifold for the perturbed equation v^′=A(t)v+f(t,v) provided that f is sufficiently small. The generalized exponential dichotomies may exhibit stable and unstable behaviors with respect to arbitrary growth rates for some function ρ(t). We consider the general case of nonuniform exponential dichotomies, and the result is obtained in Banach spaces. Moreover, we show that for an equivariant system, the dynamics on the stable manifold in a certain class of graphs is also equivariant. We emphasize that this result cannot be obtained by averaging over the symmetry.     

Lyapunov functions for trichotomies with growth rates

We consider linear equations x^′=A(t)x that may exhibit stable, unstable and central behaviors in different directions, with respect to arbitrary asymptotic rates ecρ(t) determined by a function ρ(t). For example, the usual exponential behavior with ρ(t)=t is included as a very special case, and when ρ(t)=logt we obtain a polynomial behavior. We emphasize that we also consider the general case of nonuniform exponential behavior, which corresponds to the existence of what we call a ρ-nonuniform exponential trichotomy. This is known to occur in a large class of nonautonomous linear equations. Our main objective is to give a complete characterization in terms of strict Lyapunov functions of the linear equations admitting a ρ-nonuniform exponential trichotomy. This includes criteria for the existence of a ρ-nonuniform exponential trichotomy, as well as inverse theorems providing explicit strict Lyapunov functions for each given exponential trichotomy. In the particular case of quadratic Lyapunov functions we show that the existence of strict Lyapunov sequences can be deduced from more algebraic relations between the quadratic forms defining the Lyapunov functions. As an application of the characterization of nonuniform exponential trichotomies in terms of strict Lyapunov functions, we establish the robustness of ρ-nonuniform exponential trichotomies under sufficiently small linear perturbations. We emphasize that in comparison with former works, our proof of the robustness is much simpler even when ρ(t)=t.     

Quadratic Lyapunov functions and nonuniform exponential dichotomies

For nonautonomous linear equations x^′=A(t)x, we show how to characterize completely nonuniform exponential dichotomies using quadratic Lyapunov functions. The characterization can be expressed in terms of inequalities between matrices. In particular, we obtain converse theorems, by constructing explicitly quadratic Lyapunov functions for each nonuniform exponential dichotomy. We note that the nonuniform exponential dichotomies include as a very special case (uniform) exponential dichotomies. In particular, we recover in a very simple manner a complete characterization of uniform exponential dichotomies in terms of quadratic Lyapunov functions. We emphasize that our approach is new even in the uniform case.Furthermore, we show that the instability of a nonuniform exponential dichotomy persists under sufficiently small perturbations. The proof uses quadratic Lyapunov functions, and in particular avoids the use of invariant unstable manifolds which, to the best of our knowledge, are not known to exist in this general setting.     

Stable invariant manifolds for parabolic dynamics

We consider nonautonomous equations v^′=A(t)v in a Banach space that exhibit stable and unstable behaviors with respect to arbitrary growth rates ecρ(t) for some function ρ(t). This corresponds to the existence of a “generalized” exponential dichotomy, which is known to be robust. When ρ(t)≠t this behavior can be described as a type of parabolic dynamics. We consider the general case of nonuniform exponential dichotomies, for which the Lyapunov stability is not uniform. We show that for any sufficiently small perturbation f of a “generalized” exponential dichotomy there is a stable invariant manifold for the perturbed equation v^′=A(t)v+f(t,v). We also consider the case of exponential contractions, which allow a simpler treatment, and we show that they persist under sufficiently small nonlinear perturbations.     

Stability of delay equations via Lyapunov functions

The importance of Lyapunov functions is well known. In the general setting of nonautonomous linear delay equations v^′=L(t)vt, we show how to characterize completely the existence of a nonuniform exponential contraction or of a nonuniform exponential dichotomy in terms of Lyapunov functions. This includes uniform exponential behavior as a very special case, and it provides an alternative (usually simpler and particularly more direct) approach to verify the existence of exponential behavior or to obtain the robustness of the dynamics under sufficiently small perturbations.     

Stable manifolds for delay equations and parameter dependence

We establish the existence of Lipschitz stable invariant manifolds for semiflows generated by a delay equation x^′=L(t)_xt+f(t,_xt,λ)$x^{\prime }=L\left(t\right)x_t+f(t,x_t,\lambda )$, assuming that the linear equation x^′=L(t)_xt$x^{\prime }=L\left(t\right)x_t$ admits a nonuniform exponential dichotomy and that f$f$ is a sufficiently small Lipschitz perturbation. We also show that the stable invariant manifolds are Lipschitz in the parameter λ$\lambda$.     

Stability of nonautonomous differential equations in Hilbert spaces

We introduce a large class of nonautonomous linear differential equations v^′=A(t)v in Hilbert spaces, for which the asymptotic stability of the zero solution, with all Lyapunov exponents of the linear equation negative, persists in v^′=A(t)v+f(t,v) under sufficiently small perturbations f. This class of equations, which we call Lyapunov regular, is introduced here inspired in the classical regularity theory of Lyapunov developed for finite-dimensional spaces, that is nowadays apparently overlooked in the theory of differential equations. Our study is based on a detailed analysis of the Lyapunov exponents. Essentially, the equation v^′=A(t)v is Lyapunov regular if for every k the limit of Γ(t)^1/t as t→∞ exists, where Γ(t) is any k-volume defined by solutions v₁(t),…,v_k(t). We note that the class of Lyapunov regular linear equations is much larger than the class of uniformly asymptotically stable equations.     

Robustness via Lyapunov functions

For nonautonomous linear equations x^′=A(t)x, we give a complete characterization of nonuniform exponential dichotomies in terms of strict quadratic Lyapunov functions. Nonuniform exponential dichotomies include as a very special case uniform exponential dichotomies. In particular, we construct explicitly strict Lyapunov functions for each exponential dichotomy. As a nontrivial application, we establish in a simple and direct manner the robustness of nonuniform exponential dichotomies under sufficiently small linear perturbations. This represents a considerable simplification of former work.     

Robustness of nonuniform exponential dichotomies in Banach spaces

We give conditions for the robustness of nonuniform exponential dichotomies in Banach spaces, in the sense that the existence of an exponential dichotomy for a given linear equation x^′=A(t)x persists under a sufficiently small linear perturbation. We also establish the continuous dependence with the perturbation of the constants in the notion of dichotomy and of the “angles” between the stable and unstable subspaces. Our proofs exhibit (implicitly) the exponential dichotomies of the perturbed equations in terms of fixed points of appropriate contractions. We emphasize that we do not need the notion of admissibility (of bounded nonlinear perturbations). We also obtain related robustness results in the case of nonuniform exponential contractions. In addition, we establish an appropriate version of robustness for nonautonomous dynamical systems with discrete time.     

Robustness of general dichotomies

For a linear equation v^′=A(t)v we consider general dichotomies that may exhibit stable and unstable behaviors with respect to arbitrary asymptotic rates ecρ(t) for some function ρ(t). This includes as a special case the usual exponential behavior when ρ(t)=t. We also consider the general case of nonuniform exponential dichotomies. We establish the robustness of the exponential dichotomies in Banach spaces, in the sense that the existence of an exponential dichotomy for a given linear equation persists under sufficiently small linear perturbations. We also establish the continuous dependence with the perturbation of the constants in the notion of dichotomy.     

Circular spectrum and bounded solutions of periodic evolution equations

We consider the existence and uniqueness of bounded solutions of periodic evolution equations of the form u^′=A(t)u+?H(t,u)+f(t), where A(t) is, in general, an unbounded operator depending 1-periodically on t, H is 1-periodic in t, ? is small, and f is a bounded and continuous function that is not necessarily uniformly continuous. We propose a new approach to the spectral theory of functions via the concept of “circular spectrum” and then apply it to study the linear equations u^′=A(t)u+f(t) with general conditions on f. For small ? we show that the perturbed equation inherits some properties of the linear unperturbed one. The main results extend recent results in the direction, saying that if the unitary spectrum of the monodromy operator does not intersect the circular spectrum of f, then the evolution equation has a unique mild solution with its circular spectrum contained in the circular spectrum of f.     

Analytic invariant manifolds for sequences of diffeomorphisms

We obtain real analytic invariant manifolds for trajectories of maps assuming only the existence of a nonuniform exponential behavior. We also consider the more general case of sequences of maps, which corresponds to a nonautonomous dynamics with discrete time. We emphasize that the maps that we consider are defined in a real Euclidean space, and thus, one is not able to obtain the invariant manifolds from a corresponding procedure to that in the nonuniform hyperbolicity theory in the context of holomorphic dynamics. We establish the existence both of stable (and unstable) manifolds and of center manifolds. As a byproduct of our approach we obtain an exponential control not only for the trajectories on the invariant manifolds, but also for all their derivatives.     

Spectral radius, index estimates for Schrödinger operators and geometric applications

In this paper we study the existence of a first zero and the oscillatory behavior of solutions of the ordinary differential equation ^′(vz^′)+Avz=0, where A, v are functions arising from geometry. In particular, we introduce a new technique to estimate the distance between two consecutive zeros. These results are applied in the setting of complete Riemannian manifolds: in particular, we prove index bounds for certain Schrödinger operators, and an estimate of the growth of the spectral radius of the Laplacian outside compact sets when the volume growth is faster than exponential. Applications to the geometry of complete minimal hypersurfaces of Euclidean space, to minimal surfaces and to the Yamabe problem are discussed.     

Singular and nonsingular first-order initial value problems

Under barrier strip type arguments we investigate the existence of global solutions to the initial value problem x^′=f(t,x,x^′), x(0)=A, where the scalar function f(t,x,p) may be singular at x=A.     

Conjugacies for linear and nonlinear perturbations of nonuniform behavior

We construct topological conjugacies between linear and nonlinear evolution operators that admit either a nonuniform exponential contraction or a nonuniform exponential dichotomy. We consider evolution operators defined by nonautonomous differential equations x^′=A(t)x+f(t,x) in a Banach space. The conjugacies are obtained by first considering sufficiently small linear and nonlinear perturbations of linear equations x^′=A(t)x. In the case of linear perturbations, we construct in a more or less explicit manner topological conjugacies between the two linear flows. In the case of nonlinear perturbations, we obtain a version of the Grobman-Hartman theorem for nonuniformly hyperbolic dynamics. Furthermore, all the conjugacies that we construct are locally Hölder continuous provided that the vectors fields are of class C¹. As a byproduct of our approach, we give conditions for the robustness of strong nonuniform exponential behavior, in the sense that under sufficiently small perturbations the structure determined by the stable and unstable bundles persists up to small variations. We also show that the constants determining the nonuniform exponential contraction or nonuniform exponential dichotomy vary continuously with the perturbation. All the results are obtained in Banach spaces.     

Existence of three positive solutions for boundary value problems with p-Laplacian

By using fixed point theorem, we study the following equation g(u^′′(t))+a(t)f(u)=0 subject to boundary conditions, where g(v)=|v|^p−2v with p>1; the existence of at least three positive solutions is proved.