Stability of Slow-Fast Nonlinear Dynamics: Non-Periodic Case

Abstract

We present sufficient conditions for the semi-global exponential stability of nonlinear systems whose dynamics have both slow and fast time variations. Unlike most existing results, the fast variation is non-periodic, thereby allowing a wider class of systems, especially switched systems with fast (non-periodic) switching and those with quasi-periodic variations; we therefore rely on general averaging to construct an average system. It is assumed that the average system admits a time-invariant equilibrium that is globally exponentially stable when the slow variation is frozen, i.e., remaining at a fixed value. This slow variation is allowed to be discontinuous in time, provided its total variation (flows and jumps) is bounded. The main result is illustrated using a nonlinear switched system with slow-fast non-periodic switching.