Non-autonomous honesty theory in abstract state spaces with applications to linear kinetic equations (Q380165)

Let \(\mathcal{E}\) be an ordered Banach space with additive norm on the positive cone \(\mathcal{E}_+\) (an `abstract state space'). Let \(\Phi\) be a positive linear functional on \(\mathcal{E}\) satisfying \(\langle \Phi, u\rangle =||u||\) for \(u\in \mathcal{E}_+\). Let \(\left(U(t)\right)_{t\geq 0}\) be a substochastic \(C_0\)-semigroup on \(\mathcal{E}\), let \(\left(\mathcal{A}, \mathcal{D(A)}\right)\) denote the generator, and let \(\mathcal{B}:\mathcal{D(B)}\to \mathcal{E}\) be a non-negative operator with \(\mathcal{D(B)}\supseteq\mathcal{D(A)}\), satisfying the dissipativity condition \(\langle \Phi, (\mathcal{A}+\mathcal{B})u\rangle \leq 0\) for \(u\in\mathcal{D(B)}\cap \mathcal{E}_+\). According to the approach of \textit{T. Kato} [J. Math. Soc. Japan 6, 1--15 (1954; Zbl 0058.10701)], it follows that there exists an extension \(\mathcal{K}\) of the sum \(\mathcal{A}+\mathcal{B}\) generating a substochastic semigroup \(\left(\mathcal{V}(t)\right)_{t\geq 0}\) which is representable by a (strongly convergent) Dyson-Phillips series representation. In the `formally conservative case', i.e., \(\langle \Phi, (\mathcal{A}+\mathcal{B})u\rangle = 0\) for \(u\in\mathcal{D(B)}\cap \mathcal{E}_+\), \(\left(\mathcal{V}(t)\right)_{t\geq 0}\) is called `honest' if \(\mathcal{K} = \overline{\mathcal{A}+\mathcal{B}}\); this is the case iff \(||\mathcal{V}(t)u|| =||u||\) for all \(u\in \mathcal{E}_+\) and \(t\geq 0\). If \(\mathcal{K}\) is a proper extension of \(\mathcal{A}+\mathcal{B}\), the definition of honesty is more involved, indeed too technical to be repeated in a review. In the paper under review, the authors extend the theory of addition of generators and of honest semigroups to `evolution families' \(\left(U(s,t)\right)_{s\leq t}\) perturbated by a measurable one-parameter family of non-negative operators \(\{\mathcal{B}(t): t\geq 0\}\), to obtain (under suitable conditions) a substochastic evolution family \(\left(V(s,t)\right)_{s\leq t}\), representable by a (modified) Dyson-Phillips series representation. Essential for the following is the well-known fact that evolution families \(\left(U(s,t)\right)_{s\leq t}\) resp. \(\left(V(s,t)\right)_{s\leq t}\) correspond to substochastic \(C_0\)-semigroups \(\left(\mathcal{T}_0(t)\right)_{t\geq 0}\) and \(\left(\mathcal{T}(t)\right)_{t\geq 0}\), respectively defined on the enlarged state space \(\mathcal{X}:=L^1(\mathbb{R}_+, \mathcal{E})\). The further investigations rely on the construction of a non-negative operator \(\widehat{\mathcal{B}}\) on \(\mathcal{X}\) such that the generator of \(\left(\mathcal{T}(t)\right)\) is an extension of the sum \(\mathcal{Z}+ \widehat{\mathcal{B}}\), \(\mathcal{Z}\) denoting the generator of the un-perturbed semigroup \(\left(\mathcal{T}_0(t)\right)\). (Technical properties are postponed to the appendix.) Thus, roughly spoken, the theory of honest evolution families (on \(\mathcal{E}\)) can be reduced to the theory of honest \(C_0\)-semigroups (on \(\mathcal{X}\)). The theory is applied in Section 5 to linear Boltzmann equations (satisfying additional conditions as the `sub-critical hypothesis' in neutron transport theory). It could be mentioned that substochastic evolution families and perturbations are also investigated in probabilities on groups in connection with `convolution hemigroups' (or distributions of additive processes) and the corresponding convolution operators. However, at least up to now, the theory of `honest' hemigroups seems to be not relevant in this setup.