Methods of infinite dimensional Morse theory for geodesics on Finsler manifolds (Q478300)

The author proves two shifting theorems of the critical groups of critical points or critical orbits for the energy functionals of Finsler metrics on Hilbert manifolds of \(H^1\)-curves under different boundary conditions. Two splitting lemmas for the functionals on Banach manifolds of \(C^1\)-curves are given,which generalize some of his recent work on Hilbert (Banach) spaces. Two results on critical groups of iterated closed geodesics on Finsler manifolds are also proved, generalizing the corresponding results on Riemannian manifolds which are based on the usual splitting lemma by \textit{D. Gromoll} and \textit{W. Meyer} [Topology 8, 361--369 (1969; Zbl 0212.28903)]. The author's approach is to deform the square of the Finsler metric in a Lagrangian which is smooth also on the zero section and then use the splitting lemma for nonsmooth functionals. The argument does not involve finite-dimensional approximations and Palais' result [\textit{R. S. Palais}, Topology 5, 1--16 (1966; Zbl 0138.18302)]. As an application, a result by \textit{V. Bangert} and \textit{W. Klingenberg} [Topology 22, 379--388 (1983; Zbl 0525.58015)] on the existence of infinitely many, geometrically distinct, closed geodesics on a compact Riemannian manifold is extended to Finsler manifolds.