Nonsmooth generalized guiding functions for periodic differential inclusions

Abstract.

We consider the periodic problem for differential inclusions in $$ \user2{\mathbb{R}}^{\rm N} $$ with a nonconvex-valued orientor field F(t, ζ), which is lower semicontinuous in $$ \zeta \in \user2{\mathbb{R}}^{\rm N} $$ Using the notion of a nonsmooth, locally Lipschitz generalized guiding function, we prove that the inclusion has periodic solutions. We have two such existence theorems. We also study the “convex” periodic problem and prove an existence result under upper semicontinuity hypothesis on F(t, ·) and using a nonsmooth guiding function. Our work was motivated by the recent paper of Mawhin-Ward [23] and extends the single-valued results of Mawhin [19] and the multivalued results of De Blasi-Górniewicz-Pianigiani [4], where either the guiding function is C¹ or the conditions on F are more restrictive and more difficult to verify.