Past exam of the fixed point methods for nonlinear partial differential equations course of the University of Oxford / 2008 / 2

A nonlinear compact operator is a continuous map that sends bounded sets of its domain to relatively compact subsets of the target space; linearity is not part of this general definition.

For the specified diagonal operator on sequence space on l2 sequence space,so it is well-defined, linear and bounded. Let $T_N$ retain only its first $N$ output coordinates. This is a finite-rank operator, andThe upper bound follows by estimating each tail multiplier by $1/(N+1)$; equality follows on the unit coordinate vector $e_{N+1}$. Finite-rank operators between Banach spaces are compact, and a limit of compact linear operators in operator norm is compact, the norm-closedness of compact operators. Therefore $\boxed{T\text{ is compact}}$.

The Schauder fixed-point theorem states that a continuous compact self-map of a nonempty closed bounded convex set in a Banach space has a fixed point. Equivalently in this bounded-domain version, it suffices for the image of the map to be relatively compact. The theorem guarantees existence, without requiring a contraction estimate or promising uniqueness.

Work in the Banach space $C([0,1])$ with its supremum norm, and take the nonempty closed bounded convex set $M=\{u:100\le u(t)\le 121\text{ for all }t\}$. DefineFor $u\in M$ the absolute value is unnecessary, and $\boxed{101\le Tu(t)\le 101+12=113\le 121}$. Thus $T:M\to M$. Also, for $a,b\ge 100$,so $\Vert Tu-Tv{\Vert }_{\infty }\le \frac{1}{20}\Vert u-v{\Vert }_{\infty }$ and in particular $T$ is continuous.

The image is uniformly bounded, and $|Tu(t)-Tu(s)|\le 12|t-s|$, so it is equicontinuous. The Arzelà-Ascoli theorem says that a uniformly bounded equicontinuous family in $C([0,1])$ has relatively compact closure in the uniform norm. Hence $T$ is compact, and the Schauder fixed-point theorem supplies $\boxed{u=Tu}$, the required solution. In fact the displayed contraction estimate also lets the contraction mapping theorem give uniqueness within $M$ and convergence of the corresponding Picard iteration. The initial constant here is the printed integer $101$.