Global asymptotic stability of homogeneous polynomial vector fields is undecidable
Ivan O. Shevchenko, Jun Liu, Xinzhi Liu
math.DS
Oct 8, 2026 · v1
math.CA math.LO
TL;DR
The main undecidability and cubic-reduction results are formalized in Lean 4 with Mathlib, with an accompanying repository mapping statements to Lean and an axiom audit.
Abstract
We study the decision problem of global asymptotic stability (GAS) of the origin for homogeneous polynomial vector fields with rational coefficients. In the first part of the paper we give, for every fixed dimension $n$ and odd degree $2k+1$, a computable map which sends a homogeneous vector field of degree $2k+1$ on $\mathbb{R}^n$ to a homogeneous cubic vector field on $\mathbb{R}^m$, $m=\binom{n+k-1}{k}$, and preserves both GAS and Lyapunov stability. The map passes to new variables $y_α=x^α$ (one for each monomial $x^α$ of degree $k$), in which the vector field becomes cubic, and adds a cubic penalty term transverse to the set of points of the form $(x^α)_{|α|=k}$; the main point is that this controls every initial state of the new system. As a consequence, the GAS problems for all degrees, for each fixed odd degree $d\ge3$, and for degree three are pairwise many-one equivalent. In the second part we prove that there are a fixed dimension $N_*$ and a fixed odd degree $d_*$ such that the set of homogeneous vector fields on $\mathbb{R}^{N_*}$ of degree $d_*$ whose origin is GAS is many-one complete. The reduction encodes an undecidable family of polynomial equations in integer unknowns into the constant term of a product of Jacobi theta series, realizes these series as outputs of a polynomial differential system with rational coefficients, and turns the existence of an integer solution into the sign of a maximal invariant average, which homogeneous GAS detects. Combining the two parts shows that GAS of rational homogeneous vector fields on $\mathbb{R}^N$ of degree $d$ is many-one complete for every odd $d\ge3$ and every sufficiently large $N$; in particular it is undecidable for cubic vector fields in a fixed dimension. Building on recent work, some analogous results are proven for Lyapunov stability of homogeneous vector fields.
Problem
Whether global asymptotic stability (GAS) of the origin for rational homogeneous polynomial vector fields is decidable, including for fixed degree and dimension.
Approach
A Veronese monomial lift with a transverse cubic penalty term reduces any odd-degree homogeneous field to a cubic one while preserving GAS and Lyapunov stability. For hardness, an undecidable Diophantine (MRDP) family is encoded into the constant term of a product of Jacobi theta series. These series are realized by a polynomial ODE, and solvability is turned into the sign of a maximal invariant average that homogeneous GAS detects. The main results were generated with AI assistance and formalized in Lean 4 using Mathlib.
Results
GAS of rational homogeneous vector fields of every odd degree d≥3 in every sufficiently large fixed dimension is many-one complete, so it is undecidable already for cubic fields in a fixed dimension. Analogous results hold for Lyapunov stability. The listed results are machine-checked in Lean.