Following homology in singularly perturbed systems (Q1082686)

The fast systems associated to a system of first-order equations where a small parameter multiplies the derivatives (hereinafter, an SPMD system) are obtained by stretching time by a factor of one over the small parameter and then reducing the small parameter to zero. Curves of isolated invariant sets associated to the fast system serve as approximate solutions to the SPMD system over finite intervals in the following sense: A manifold of initial points representing non-zero homology \(\alpha\) in the Morse-Conley index of the invariant set at the left endpoint has a submanifold which is carried by the flow of the SPMD system to a manifold representing that non-zero homology class in the index of the invariant set at the right endpoint which is the continuation of \(\alpha\) along the curve of invariant sets. This is a type of linearization of the approximation problem since the continuation of homology classes along the curve of invariant sets is given by a linear transformation which varies functorially with the curve of invariant sets. Examples are given for systems in \(R^ 2\) and \(R^ 3.\) The results are used elsewhere to prove existence theorems for two point boundary value problems to obtain solutions with boundary and interior transition layers.