On the reducibility systems of two linear first-order ordinary differential equations (Q2659840)

This paper addresses an interesting problem concerning the reducibility of linear first-order differential equations. Consider the linear system \begin{align*}\dot{\phi} & = a(t)\phi+b(t)\psi,\\ \nonumber \dot{\psi} & = c(t)\phi+d(t)\psi,\tag{1}\end{align*} where \(a, b, c, d\) are real-valued continuous and bounded functions on \([t_0, \infty).\) A linear transformation given by \begin{align*}\phi_1 & = z_{11}(t)\phi+z_{12}(t)\psi,\\ \nonumber \psi_1 & = z_{21}(t)\phi+z_{22}(t)\psi,\tag{2}\end{align*} transforms the system (1) into \begin{align*}\dot{\phi}_1 & = a_1(t)\phi+b_1(t)\psi,\\ \dot{\psi}_1 & = c_1(t)\phi+d_1(t)\psi,\tag{3}\end{align*} where \(a_1, a_2, a_3, a_4\) are new coefficient functions. The reducibility problem refers to the existence of the bounded linear transformation (2) so that the coefficients \(a_1, a_2, a_3, a_4\) in system (3) are constants. Consider the Riccati equation \[\dot{y}+b(t)y^2+E(t)y-c(t)=0,\;\, t\geq t_0,\tag{Ricc}\] where \(E=a(t)-d(t)\) for all \(t\geq t_0.\) \textit{X. Hou} and \textit{J. You} [Invent. Math. 190, No. 1, 209--260 (2012; Zbl 1294.37027)] proved that the linear system (1) is reducible when either (1) has a bounded solution for (Ricc) on \([t_0, \infty)\) or (2) has a solution \(y(t)\) for (Ricc) so that \(\lim_{t\rightarrow \infty} y(t)= \infty.\) The author of this paper uses this result and provides a varieties of criteria for the reducibility problem for the linear system (1).