A differential equation approach to implicit sweeping processes

In this paper, we study an implicit version of the sweeping process. Based on methods of convex analysis, we prove the equivalence of the implicit sweeping process with a differential equation, which enables us to show the existence and uniqueness of the solution to the implicit sweeping process in a very general framework. Moreover, this equivalence allows us to give a characterization of nonsmooth Lyapunov pairs and invariance for implicit sweeping processes. The results of the paper are illustrated with two applications to quasistatic evolution variational inequalities and electrical circuits.