On the subdifferentials of quasiconvex and pseudoconvex functions and cyclic monotonicity (Q1306850)

Let \(X\) be a Banach space and \(f:X\to \mathbb{R}\cup\{\infty\}\) be a (lower semi)-continuous function. It is well known that convexity properties of \(f\) can be characterized by different types of monotonicity of the Clarke subdifferential mapping \(\partial f\). In detail it holds \[ \begin{aligned} f\text{ convex} & \Longleftrightarrow \partial f\text{ monotone},\\ f\text{ quasiconvex} & \Longleftrightarrow \partial f\text{ quasimonotone},\\ f\text{ pseudoconvex} & \Longleftrightarrow \partial f\text{ pseudomonotone}.\end{aligned} \] In the first part of the paper these relations are extended replacing these monotonicity notions by the more general notions of cyclic monotonicity, cyclic quasimonotonicity and cyclic pseudomonotonicity, respectively. Here the behavior of the mapping is described around cycles of finite numbers of (not only of two) points. Hence, for the Clarke subdifferential the notions of (quasi, pseudo) monotonicity and (quasi, pseudo) cyclic monotonicity are the same. In the second part, the authors introduce the notions of the so-called (quasi, pseudo) proper monotonicity. Here the behavior of the mapping is characterized even on the convex hull of these finite numbers of points. Also here it is shown that the above-mentioned results remain true using these notions. Moreover, the equivalences of monotonicity -- proper monotonicity, and pseudo monotonicity -- pseudo proper monotonicity hold not only for the subdifferential mapping but for all set-valued mappings.