Functional calculus, variational methods and Liapunov's theorem (Q5946020)

Suppose \(e^{-tA}\) is a holomorphic semigroup on a complex Hilbert space \(H\). When \(H\) is finite-dimensional, a classical criterion of Lyapunov says that if the spectrum of the operator \(A\) is strictly in the right half plane, then there exists a scalar product on \(H\) according to which the semigroup is exponentially stable. Note that under the above conditions \(A\) has bounded imaginary powers: \(\|A^{is}\|\leq C\) \((\forall s\in \mathbb{R})\). The paper under review gives an extension of this result to infinite-dimensional spaces. Namely, the criterion still holds with the additional condition: \((*)\) \(A+\mu I\) has bounded imaginary powers for some \(\mu\in \mathbb{R}\). The paper contains an interesting preliminary result: \(A\) is associated with a closed form on \(H\) if and only if \((*)\) holds.