Finite-difference operators in the study of differential operators: solution estimates (Q981759)

The authors consider a family \({\mathcal U}(t, s)\) \((s \leq t)\) of bounded operators in a Banach space \(E\) satisfying the usual requirements of an evolution operator: \({\mathcal U}(t, t) = I, \) \({\mathcal U}(t, s){\mathcal U}(s, r)= {\mathcal U}(t, r)\) \((r \leq s \leq t),\) \({\mathcal U}(t, s)\) strongly continuous (plus other assumptions). Evolution operators are associated with the abstract Cauchy problem \[ y'(t) = A(t)y(t), \quad y(s) \;\text{given}; \tag{1} \] in fact, propagation of the solutions of (1) through an evolution operator means well-posedness of the Cauchy problem. The operator \(\mathcal L\) is the inverse \(y(t) \to f(t)\) of the variation-of-constants operator \[ y(t) = {\mathcal U}(t, s)y(s) - \int_s^t {\mathcal U}(t, \sigma) f(\sigma) \,d\sigma \] (with \(f(t)\) in one of several function spaces). The finite difference operator \({\mathcal D}\) is defined by \[ {\mathcal D} y(n)= y(n)- {\mathcal U}(n, n-1)y(n-1). \] Most results in this paper concern boundedness of the inverses \({\mathcal L}^{-1}\) and \({\mathcal D}^{-1}\) in various function spaces and relations between both inverses. Sharper results are given in the semigroup case \((A(t) = A\) in (1)).