Mireles-James, Jason

The goal of this dissertation is to estimate the precise asymptotics for the number of geometric equivalence classes of Morse functions on the 2-sphere. Our approach involves utilizing the Lagrange inversion formula, Cauchy’s coefficient formula, and the saddle point method for the asymptotic analysis of contour integrals to analyze the generating function derived by L. Nicolaescu, expressed as the inverse of an elliptic integral. We utilize complex analysis, nonlinear functional analysis in infinite sequence spaces, and interval arithmetic to write all the necessary MATLAB programs that validate our results. This work answers questions posed by Arnold and Nicolaescu, furthering our understanding of the topological properties of Morse functions on two-dimensional manifolds. It also demonstrates the effectiveness of a computer assisted approach for asymptotic analysis.

Asteroid mining can be profitable; however, it is currently not economically feasible. Space companies have reduced the cost of missions by using low energy transfer. Low energy transfer uses connecting orbits requiring much less energy to move a spacecraft. To demonstrate low energy transfer, I investigate the Sitnikov Problem with eccentricity of 0.2 and 0.9. The Sitnikov Problem is a form of the gravitational three-body problem with two heavy bodies orbiting in a plane while a light third body moves perpendicular to the plane. I compute the Poincaré map and find connecting orbits. I then compare past missions that used low energy transfer to similar missions which did not. In all cases, using low energy transfer lowered the cost. This shows that we should investigate the use of low energy transfer in asteroid mining missions to reduce cost.

The goal of this work is to study smooth invariant sets using high order approximation schemes. Whenever possible, existence of invariant sets are established using computer-assisted proofs. This provides a new set of tools for mathematically rigorous analysis of the invariant objects. The dissertation focuses on application of these tools to a family of three dimensional dissipative vector fields, derived from the normal form of a cusp-Hopf bifurcation. The vector field displays a Neimark-Sacker bifurcation giving rise to an attracting invariant torus. We examine the torus via parameter continuation from its appearance to its breakdown, scrutinizing its dynamics between these events. We also study the embeddings of the stable/unstable manifolds of the hyperbolic equilibrium solutions over this parameter range. We focus on the role of the invariant manifolds as transport barriers and their participation in global bifurcations. We then study the existence and regularity properties for attracting invariant tori in three dimensional dissipative systems of ordinary differential equations and lay out a constructive method of computer assisted proof which pertains to explicit problems in non-perturbative regimes. We get verifiable lower bounds on the regularity of the attractor in terms of the ratio of the expansion rate on the torus with the contraction rate near the torus. We look at two important cases of rotational and resonant tori. Finally, we study the related problem of approximating two dimensional subcenter manifolds of conservative systems. As an application, we compare two methods for computing the Taylor series expansion of the graph of the subcenter manifold near a saddle-center equilibrium solution of a Hamiltonian system.

The study of the long time behavior of nonlinear systems is not effortless, but it is very rewarding. The computation of invariant objects, in particular manifolds provide the scientist with the ability to make predictions at the frontiers of science. However, due to the presence of strong nonlinearities in many important applications, understanding the propagation of errors becomes necessary in order to quantify the reliability of these predictions, and to build sound foundations for future discoveries.
This dissertation develops methods for the accurate computation of high-order polynomial approximations of stable/unstable manifolds attached to long periodic orbits in discrete time dynamical systems. For this purpose a multiple shooting scheme is applied to invariance equations for the manifolds obtained using the Parameterization Method developed by Xavier Cabre, Ernest Fontich and Rafael De La Llave in [CFdlL03a, CFdlL03b, CFdlL05].