An approximation scheme for defining the Conley index of isolated critical points (Q2388053)

Let \(f:H\to\mathbb{R}\) be a \(C^1\)-functional on a separable Hilbert space \(H\) with \(\nabla f:H\to H\) locally Lipschitz continuous and satisfying the following compactness condition: if \(x_n\rightharpoonup x_*\), and if \(\lim\sup_{n\to\infty}(\nabla f(x_n),x_n-x_*)\leq 0\) then \(x_n\to x_*\). The authors define the Conley index of an isolated critical point as follows: Suppose \(0\in H\) is the only critical point of \(f\) in the ball \(B(0,r)\) of radius \(r\) around \(0\). Choose any sequence \(H_1\subset H_2\subset\ldots\subset H\) of finite-dimensional subspaces with \(\bigcup_n H_n\) dense in \(H\). Then for \(n\) large, \(B(0,r)\cap H_n\) is an isolating neighborhood of the negative gradient flow \(\varphi_n\) on \(H_n\) associated to the restriction \(f| H_n\). Let \(S_n:=\text{{inv}}(B(0,r)\cap H_n, \varphi_n)\) be the invariant set and \(h(S_n, \varphi _n)\) the usual finite-dimensional Conly index. The authors show that \(h(S_n, \varphi_n)\) is independent of \(n\) for \(n\) large, and independent of the choice of the sequence \(H_n\), \(n\geq1\). This is then, by definition, the Conley index of \(0\) as an isolated critical point of \(f\). Related and more general versions of the Conley index are due to \textit{K. P. Rybakowski} [The homotopy index and partial differential equations, Universitext, Berlin etc.: Springer-Verlag (1987; Zbl 0628.58006)], \textit{V. Benci} [Prog. Nonlinear Differ. Equ. Appl. 15, 37--177 (1995; Zbl 0823.58008)], and \textit{K. Geba, M. Izydorek} and \textit{A. Pruszko} [Stud. Math. 134, 217--233 (1999; Zbl 0927.58004)].