Gradient systems of closed operators (Q1040225)

Semigroups mainly arise in connection with differential equations in abstract spaces, where a global existence and uniqueness result translates into writing the solution at time \(t> 0\) with initial datum \(x\in X\). In the presence of some dissipation mechanism, the asymptotic behavior of \(S(t)\) is usually described in terms of suitably small subsets of \(X\). A classical result on the existence of global attractors for gradient systems is extended to the case of a semigroup \(S(t)\) lacking strong continuity, but satisfying the weaker property of being a closed map for every fixed \(t\geq 0\).