Study of the critical points at infinity arising from the failure of the Palais-Smale condition for 𝑛-body type problems (Q4243754)

The author studies \(T\)-periodic orbits of the Hamiltonian system of \(n\)-body type \[ m_i\ddot{q}_{i}+ {\partial V\over \partial q_i}(t,q) = 0 \quad (1\leq i \leq n), \] where \(m_i>0\), \(q=(q_1,\dots,q_n)\in ({\mathbb R}^l)^n\) (\(l\geq 3\)) and the potential \(V(t,q)\) is given by \(V(t,q)=\sum_{i\neq j} V_{ij}(t,q_i-q_j)\) where \(V_{ij}(t,\xi)\) is \(T\)-periodic in \(t\). Among the assumptions on \(V_{ij}\) are the following: \(V_{ij}(t,\xi)<0\); \(V_{ij}(t,\xi)\to 0\) and \(V_{ij}'(t,\xi)\to 0\) as \(| \xi| \to\infty\); \(V_{ij}(t,\xi)\to-\infty\) as \(\xi\to 0\) and satisfies the strong force condition [introduced by \textit{W. B. Gordon}, Trans. Am. Math. Soc. 204, 113-135 (1975; Zbl 0296.58004)]. In the case of the 2--body problem (\(n=2\)), the corresponding action \(I(q) = \int_0^T {1\over 2} | \dot{q}| ^2 - V(t,q) dt\) satisfies the Palais-Smale condition (PS) up to a translation [\textit{A. Bahri} and \textit{P. Rabinowitz}, J. Funct. Anal. 82, 412-428 (1989; Zbl 0681.70018)]. In the case of the 3-body problem (\(n=3\)), the action \(I\) does not satisfy (PS) even after eliminating the translational symmetry. This leads to the notion of critical points at infinity. Such ``critical points'' arise after a certain compactification of the state space as the ``limits'' of unbounded sequences \((q_m)\) with the property \(I(q_m)\to c > 0\) and \(\nabla I(q_m)\to 0\). It has been shown by \textit{A. Bahri} and \textit{P. Rabinowitz} [Ann. Inst. Henri Poincaré, Anal. Non Linéaire 8, 561-649 (1991; Zbl 0745.34034)] that each such sequence tends to a critical point at infinity \((q_1,q_2,\infty)\) which is a solution of the 2-body problem associated with \(I\) by dropping terms involving \(q_3\). A similar phenomenon is observed in the monograph under review for the \(n\)-body problem. The details are given for \(n=4\). Roughly speaking, ``splitting of the 4-bodies problem in distinct packs, getting infinitely far one from each other takes place. In each pack the loops described by the bodies converges to a periodic orbit for the 2- or 3-bodies subsystem, defined by the pack.'' The main ingredient in the hard analysis is a version of the Morse lemma at infinity and an approximation of the action \(I\) by a certain ``nondegenerate'' functional \(\widetilde I\).