A discrete Lyapunov function for a class of linear differential equations (Q2277627)

The paper is devoted to the investigation of nonautonomous linear systems of the special type \[ (1)\quad \dot x_ i(t)=\delta_ ia_{ii- 1}(t)x_{i-1}(t)+a_{ii}(t)x_ i(t)+\delta_{i+1}a_{ii+1}(t)x_{i+1}(t), \] \(1\leq i\leq n\), i modulo n, where \(\delta_ i\in \{-1,+1\}\) and the \(a_{ij}\) are continuous nonnegative functions satisfying the following assumptions: (I) \(A(t)=(a_{ij}(t))\) (where \(a_{ij}=0\) if \(j\not\in \{i-1,i,i+1\})\) is irreducible for each t; (V) if \(a_{ii-1}(t)\) \((a_{ii+1}(t))\) vanishes at some \(t=t_ 0\), then \(\lim_{t\to t_ 0}a_{ii-1}(t)/(t-t_ 0)^{n-2}=0.\) The discrete Lyapunov function mentioned in the title is defined by \(N(y)=card\{i:\delta_ iy_ iy_{i-1}<0\}\) for \(y\in {\mathbb{R}}^ n\), \(y_ i\neq 0\) for all i; it can be continuously extended to the domain \[ {\mathcal N}=\{y\in {\mathbb{R}}^ n:\;if\quad y_ i=0,\quad then\quad \delta_{i+1}\delta_ iy_{i+1}y_{i-1}\quad <0\}. \] The main result of the paper is: Theorem. If (1) satisfies (I) and (V) and if x(t) is a nontrivial solution of (1) then (i) x(t)\(\in {\mathcal N}\) except possibly for isolated values of t; (ii) if x(t)\(\not\in {\mathcal N}\) then \(N(x(s+))<N(x(s-))\).