Compensations in small divisor problems

A general direct method, alternative to KAM theory, apt to deal with small divisor problems in the real-analytic category, is presented and tested on several small divisor problems including the construction of maximal quasi-periodic solutions for nearly-integrable non-degenerate Hamiltonian or Lagrangian systems and the construction of lower dimensional resonant tori for nearly-integrable Hamiltonian systems. The method is based on an explicit graph theoretical representation of the formal power series solutions, which allows to prove compensations among the monomials forming such representation.L.C. thanks C. Simó and theCentre de Recerca Matemàtica (Bellaterra) for kind hospitality; he also acknowledges partial support by CNR-GNAFA. The authors gratefully acknowledge helpful discussions with C. Liverani.