Precise damping conditions for global asymptotic stability for nonlinear second order systems. II (Q1336325)

The authors consider the quasi-variational system \[ (\nabla{\mathcal L}(t, u, u'))'- \nabla_ u {\mathcal L}(t, u, u')= Q(t, u,u'), \] where \({\mathcal L}(t, u, p)= G(u,p)- F(t, u)\), \(t\geq 0\), \(u\), \(p\in \mathbb{R}^ N\), and \(Q\) represents a nonlinear damping: \((Q(t, u,p),p)\leq 0\). In [Acta Math. 170, 275-307 (1992; Zbl 0797.34059)] they dealt with the case when the damping is not bounded away from zero as a function of time. In the new paper of the series the complementary situation is investigated so that the damping is allowed to be unbounded in magnitude. In this case to guarantee asymptotic stability for the equilibrium state \(u= u'= 0\) one has to exclude the overdamping \(u'(t)\to 0\), \(u(t)\to u_ 0\neq 0\) as \(t\to\infty\). To do that one has to require appropriate growth restrictions on the damping as the time increases to infinity. The authors give such restrictions, meanwhile the restrictions apply only for certain subsets of times tending to infinity (intermittent damping). The method of proof is based on a Lyapunov-type variational identity introduced in [Indiana Univ. Math. J. 35, 681-703 (1986; Zbl 0626.35027)]. The results essentially improve some earlier ones in this topic.