Differentiable Dynamical Systems: An Introduction to Structural Stability and Hyperbolicity

This is a graduate text in differentiable dynamical systems. It focuses on structural stability and hyperbolicity, a topic that is central to the field. Starting with the basic concepts of dynamical systems, analyzing the historic systems of the Smale horseshoe, Anosov toral automorphisms, and the solenoid attractor, the book develops the hyperbolic theory first for hyperbolic fixed points and then for general hyperbolic sets. The problems of stable manifolds, structural stability, and shadowing property are investigated, which lead to a highlight of the book, the OMEGA-stability theorem of Smale. While the content is rather standard, a key objective of the book is to present a thorough treatment for some tough material that has remained an obstacle to teaching and learning the subject matter. The treatment is straightforward and hence could be particularly suitable for self-study.