Non-collision solutions for a second order singular Hamiltonian system with weak force (Q2366600)

The author studies periodic solutions of Hamiltonian systems \(\ddot q + V_ q(q,t) = 0\) with \(N\geq 3\) degrees of freedom, governed by a \(T\)- periodic potential with singularity at the origin, which does not satisfy Gordon's strong force condition. The leading term of the potential is taken to be \(-| q|^{-\alpha}\) with \(0 < \alpha < 2\) and two main theorems are proved. The first one states existence of a non- collision solution for \(1 < \alpha < 2\). For \(0 < \alpha \leq 1\), it is shown that the generalized solution of \textit{A. Bahri} and \textit{P. H. Rabinowitz} [J. Funct. Anal. 82, No. 2, 412-428 (1989; Zbl 0681.70018)] enters the singularity at most once. Arriving at these results is a long and technical story. It relies in part on the study, by a minimax argument, of a critical point \(q_ \varepsilon(t)\) of a modified functional with potential \(V(q,t)-\varepsilon| q|^{-4}\) (which does satisfy the strong force condition for \(0 < \varepsilon \leq 1\)). For a subsequence \(q_{\varepsilon_ n}\), converging weakly in \(H^ 1\) and strongly in \(L^ \infty\), use is made of an estimate of the Morse index. In a note added in proof, the author mentions related results, independently derived by Benci and Fortunato, Beaulieu, and Coti Zelati and Serra.