A case of boundedness in Littlewood's problem on oscillatory differential equations

Abstract

It is shown that all solutions of ẍ + 2x3 = p(t) are bounded, the notation indicating that p is periodic. It is not necessary to have a small parameter multiplying p. The essential step is to show by appeal to Moser's theorem that, under the mapping (of the initial-value plane) which corresponds to the equation, there are invariant simple closed curves. This implies also that there is an uncountable infinity of almost-periodic solutions and, for each positive integer m, an infinity of periodic solutions of least period 2mπ (2π being taken as the least period of p ). It is suggested that for a large class of equations the same attack would show all solutions of ẍ + g(x) = p(t) bounded. However, in order to show the method clearly, no generalisation is attempted here. © 1976, Australian Mathematical Society. All rights reserved.