Transition map and shadowing lemma for normally hyperbolic invariant manifolds (Q1946341)

The authors collect some known tools in dynamical systems and combine them with a shadowing lemma to detect unstable orbits in Hamiltonian systems. The method is then applied to two examples. The first tool is what is usually called ``scattering map'' [the authors, Adv. Math. 217, No. 3, 1096--1153 (2008; Zbl 1131.37032)] associated to a normally hyperbolic invariant manifold~\(\Lambda\) of a map or a flow whose invariant unstable and stable manifolds intersect transversally along a submanifold~\(\Gamma\), defined on some open subset of \(\Lambda\). It is denoted by~\(S^{\Gamma}\). Since the map~\(S^{\Gamma}\) is geometrically defined and there is no orbit of the map or flow going from \(x\) to \(S^{\Gamma}(x)\), the second tool is introduced, namely the ``transition map'', from some backward iterate through the map or flow of \(\Gamma\) to some forward iterate of \(\Gamma\). The transition map can be written in terms of the scattering map. The third tool is the ``topological method of correctly aligned windows'', which is reviewed, and ensures the existence of an orbit visiting a prescribed set of windows. Finally, as the fourth tool, the authors present a shadowing lemma for a normally hyperbolic invariant manifold~\(\Lambda\), which claims that, given a bi-infinite sequence of windows lying on~\(\Lambda\), each pair of consecutive windows correctly aligned alternatively under the transition map and some power of the inner map (the restriction of the map to the manifold), there exists a true orbit of the system which follows closely the windows in the prescribed order. Two examples are also provided. The first one deals with the large gap problem of Arnold diffusion. The model [the first author et al., Mem. Am. Math. Soc. 844, 141 p. (2006; Zbl 1090.37044)] involves a rotator and a pendulum with a small periodic coupling. The authors describe how the combination of arguments in the literature (like the previously cited paper) with the method described in the present paper imply the existence of diffusing trajectories. The second example is the spatial circular restricted three-body problem, in the case of the Sun-Earth system, finding orbits that connect quasi-periodic motions around the Lagrangian point \(L_1\), in a prescribed order. Since this problem is not close to integrable, the approach is semi-numerical. However, due to the robustness of the method of correctly aligned windows, it is suitable for a computer assisted proof.