Quaternionic-valued ordinary differential equations. The Riccati equation (Q1032872)

The paper uses Poincaré's operator and finite-dimensional fixed point theory to obtain existence and multiplicity results for the T-periodic solutions \(q(t)\) of quaternionic-valued equations of the form \[ \dot q = qa(t)q + b(t)q + qd(t) + c(t), \] where \(a, b, c : \mathbb R \to \mathbb H\) are T-periodic continuous quaternionic-valued functions. Recall that if \(q = q_0 + q_1 i + q_2 j + q_3 k\) is a quaternion, \(\overline q := q_0 - iq_1 - jq_2 - k q_3\) is its conjugate, \(s_q := q_0\) its scalar part, \(v_q = (q_1,q_2,q_3)\) its vector part, \(Ark(q) := Arg(s_q + |v_q|i)\) its argument, and \({\mathcal S}(\alpha) := \{q \in \mathbb H : Ark(q) < \alpha\}\). The following results are proved: 1. If \(b,d\) are real-valued, \(ac \not \equiv 0\) and if there exists a decomposition \([A,l,C]\) of \(\mathbb H\) such that \(l\) is a linear hyperplane, and \(A,C\) are the half-spaces satisfying the conditions \[ \overline a(\mathbb R) \subset A \cup \{0\}, \quad c(\mathbb R) \subset C \cup l, \] then the equation above has at least two T-periodic solutions in \(\mathbb H.\) One of them is contained in \(A\) and the other in \(C.\) There are no periodic solutions contained in \(l.\) There are no solutions which are backward and forward blowing up. 2. If furthermore \[ Ark[a] < \frac{\pi}{4},\quad \max_{t \in \mathbb R}Ark[a(t)] + \max_{t \in \mathbb R}Ark[-c(t)] \leq \frac{\pi}{2}, \quad \Re[b+d] \geq 0, \] then the equation above has exactly two T-periodic solutions \(\xi, \eta\) in \(\mathbb H.\) Moreover, \(\Re[\eta] > 0\) and \(\eta\) is asymptotically unstable while \(\Re[\xi] < 0\) and \(\xi\) is asymptotically stable and every other solution in \({\mathcal S}^4\) is heteroclinic to them. Every non periodic solution starting in \({\mathcal S}(\pi/2)\) is f.b. or enters \(-{\mathcal S}(\pi/2).\) Every solution starting in \(-{\mathcal S}(\pi/2)\) stays there for all positive times. There are no b.f.b. solutions. Further results are given, as well as applications to important special cases.