Stability analysis of cosmological models through Liapunov's method

We investigate the general asymptotic behaviour of Friedman-Robertson-Walker (FRW) models with an inflaton field, scalar-tensor FRW cosmological models and diagonal Bianchi-IX models by means of Liapunov's method. This method provides information not only about the asymptotic stability of a given equilibrium point but also about its basin of attraction. This cannot be obtained by the usual methods found in the literature, such as linear stability analysis or first order perturbation techniques. Moreover, Liapunov's method is also applicable to non-autonomous systems. We use this advantadge to investigate the mechanism of reheating for the inflaton field in FRW models.Comment: Latex file, 8 pages, no figures, accepted for publication in Class. & Quant. Gra

Generic stability of dissipative non-relativistic and relativistic fluids

The linear stability of the homogeneous equilibrium of non-relativistic fluids with mass flux and special relativistic fluids with the absolute value of the energy vector as internal energy is investigated. It is proved that the equilibrium is asymptotically stable in both cases due to purely thermodynamic restrictions; the only requirements are the thermodynamic stability and the nonnegativity of the transport coefficients.Comment: 22 page

An ISS Small-Gain Theorem for General Networks

We provide a generalized version of the nonlinear small-gain theorem for the case of more than two coupled input-to-state stable (ISS) systems. For this result the interconnection gains are described in a nonlinear gain matrix and the small-gain condition requires bounds on the image of this gain matrix. The condition may be interpreted as a nonlinear generalization of the requirement that the spectral radius of the gain matrix is less than one. We give some interpretations of the condition in special cases covering two subsystems, linear gains, linear systems and an associated artificial dynamical system.Comment: 26 pages, 3 figures, submitted to Mathematics of Control, Signals, and Systems (MCSS

Fake Superpotential for Large and Small Extremal Black Holes

We consider the fist order, gradient-flow, description of the scalar fields coupled to spherically symmetric, asymptotically flat black holes in extended supergravities. Using the identification of the fake superpotential with Hamilton's characteristic function we clarify some of its general properties, showing in particular (besides reviewing the issue of its duality invariance) that W has the properties of a Liapunov's function, which implies that its extrema (associated with the horizon of extremal black holes) are asymptotically stable equilibrium points of the corresponding first order dynamical system (in the sense of Liapunov). Moreover, we show that the fake superpotential W has, along the entire radial flow, the same flat directions which exist at the attractor point. This allows to study properties of the ADM mass also for small black holes where in fact W has no critical points at finite distance in moduli space. In particular the W function for small non-BPS black holes can always be computed analytically, unlike for the large black-hole case.Comment: 30 pages, LaTeX source. Discussion on the radial evolution of the scalar fields, in relation to the symmetries of the W-function, extended. Table 1 added. Typos correcte

Kinetical systems

summary:The aim of the paper is to give some preliminary information concerning a class of nonlinear differential equations often used in physical chemistry and biology. Such systems are often very large and it is well known that where studying properties of such systems difficulties rapidly increase with their dimension. One way how to get over the difficulties is to use special forms of such systems

A case of informal encounter between theories and practices

Supported by CNRConsiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR). Biblioteca Centrale / CNR - Consiglio Nazionale delle RichercheSIGLEITItal