Abel's functional equation and eigenvalues of composition operators on spaces of real analytic functions (Q2342939)

Let \(\varphi:\mathbb{R}\rightarrow\mathbb{R}\) be a non-constant real analytic map and let \(\mathcal{A}(\mathbb{R})\) be the space of real analytic functions defined on \(\mathbb{R}\). The composition operator \(C_\varphi\) on \(\mathcal{A}(\mathbb{R})\) with symbol \(\varphi\) is defined by \(C_\varphi(f)=f\circ\varphi\) and is continuous when \(\mathcal{A}(\mathbb{R})\) is endowed with its natural locally convex topology. In the article under review, the authors completely characterize the eigenvalues and (the isomorphic classification of the) corresponding eigenspaces of \(C_\varphi\), i.e., the solvability of Schröder's functional equation \[ f\circ\varphi=\lambda f \] for \(\lambda\in\mathbb{C}\) with real analytic \(f\). If \(\varphi\) does not have any fixed point, it is well known that the solvability of Schröder's functional equation is closely connected to the solvability of Abel's functional equation \[ f\circ\varphi=f+1. \] The authors not only obtain a complete characterization of the real analytic maps \(\varphi\) for which Abel's functional equation has a real analytic solution \(f\), but they also give a description of the possible solutions. Related to these problems is the question whether \(\varphi\) embeds into a real analytic iteration semigroup, i.e., whether there is a real analytic map \(\Phi:[0,\infty)\times\mathbb{R}\rightarrow\mathbb{R}\) such that \(\Phi(t+s,x)=\Phi(t,\Phi(s,x))\), \(\Phi(0,x)=x,\) and \(\Phi(1,x)=\varphi(x)\) for every \(x\in\mathbb{R}\), \(t,s\geq 0\). Among other things, the authors show that, for \(\varphi\) without fixed points, \(\varphi\) embeds into a real analytic iteration semigroup precisely when \(\varphi\) has no critical point. Obviously, the continuous linear composition operator \(C_\varphi\) on \(\mathcal{A}(\mathbb{R})\) then has roots of arbitrary order.