No label defined (Q4705752)

The authors consider autonomous Lagrangian systems with two degrees of freedom of the form \[ -\ddot q+\psi(q)\mathcal J\dot q+Aq=\nabla W(q) \tag{1} \] with \(q=(q_1,q_2) \in \mathbb{R}^2\), \(\mathcal J=\left (\begin{smallmatrix} 0 & -1\\ 1 & 0 \end{smallmatrix}\right)\), \(A= \left(\begin{smallmatrix} \lambda^2_1 & 0 \\ 0 & \lambda^2_2 \end{smallmatrix}\right)\), \(\lambda_1>\lambda_2>0\). Under certain natural assumptions on \(W\) and \(\psi\), \(0\) is a hyperbolic equilibrium of the system (1) of saddle-saddle type with different characteristic exponents \(\pm\lambda_1\) and \(\pm\lambda_2\). The authors are interested in a chaotic behavior of the dynamics of (1) on the zero energy level. Thus, system (1) is assumed to possess two orbits homoclinic to the hyperbolic equilibrium \(0\). By variational methods, the authors show that certain nondegeneracy hypotheses (transversality condition) on the homoclinics and suitable hypotheses on the geometric behavior of these homoclinics near the equilibrium imply the existence of an infinite family of multibump homoclinic solutions with infinitely many bumps, which give rise to a chaotic dynamics at the zero energy level and lead to the positive topological entropy. In the case where \(\lambda_1\approx\lambda_2\) it is shown that the transversality condition on the homoclinics can be relaxed. As an example of applications of the results, a perturbation of two uncoupled Duffing equations is considered. The results contained in the paper have been outlined by \textit{M. Berti} and \textit{P.~Bolle} [Atti Accad. Naz. Lincei, Cl. Sci. Fis. Mat. Nat., IX. Ser., Rend. Lincei, Mat. Appl. 9, No. 3, 167-175 (1998; Zbl 0921.58023)].