Non-monotonic iterative roots extended from characteristic intervals (Q631872)

The article deals with solutions \(f(x)\) to the functional equation \(f^n(x) = F(x)\), where \(f^n(x)\), \(n = 0,1,2,\dots\), are iterates of a function \(f(x)\) (\(f^0(x) = x\), \(f^{n+1}(x) = f(f^n(x))\), \(n = 0,1,2,\dots\)); these solutions are called iterative roots of order \(n\). The authors consider the case when \(x \in [a,b]\) and both the known and unknown functions \(F(x)\) and \(f(x)\) are maps of \([a,b]\) into itself. An interior point \(x_0 \in [a,b]\) is called \textit{a monotone point} of \(F(x)\) if \(F(x)\) is strictly monotone in a neighborhood of \(x_0\); otherwise, \(x_0\) is called a \textit{non-monotone point} or \textit{fort} of \(F(x)\). A continuous map \(F(x)\) is called a \textit{strictly piecewise monotone function} or \textit{PM-function} simply if it has finitely many forts. If \(N(F^n)\) is the number of forts of the function \(F^n(x)\), \(n = 0,1,2,\dots\), then there exists a minimal number \(n\) such that \(N(F^n) = N(F^{n+1})\); by definition \(H(F) := n\). The article presents 5 theorems about the existence and nonexistence of continuous roots \(f(x)\) of different orders for PM-functions \(F(x)\) with \(H(F) \leq 1\) and \(N(F) \geq 2\). In these theorems the notion of the characteristic interval \(K(F)\) that is defined as a maximal sub-interval of \([a,b]\) which covers the range of \(F(x)\) and such that \(F(x)\) is strictly monotone on it plays an important role. Iterative roots are constructed as extensions from the characteristic interval in various modes. The statements of the theorems are illustrated by interesting graphic and numerical examples.