Global Linearization of Parameterized Nonlinear Systems with Stable Equilibrium Point Using the Koopman Operator
Pith reviewed 2026-05-10 19:54 UTC · model grok-4.3
The pith
Nonlinear systems with globally stable equilibria admit a global linearization via the Koopman operator that depends continuously on the parameter.
A machine-rendered reading of the paper's core claim, the machinery that carries it, and where it could break.
Core claim
For a parameterized nonlinear system possessing a globally exponentially stable equilibrium point, the associated Koopman operator admits a set of eigenfunctions whose span yields an exact finite-dimensional linear representation of the nonlinear dynamics; this representation depends continuously on the parameter.
What carries the argument
The parameter-dependent Koopman eigenfunctions that serve as the change of coordinates realizing the global linearization.
If this is right
- The nonlinear dynamics become exactly representable and simulable by a linear system in the lifted coordinates for any fixed parameter value.
- Spectral analysis of the Koopman operator directly yields the continuous dependence of the linearization on the parameter.
- For control-affine systems satisfying the stated condition, a single bilinear model suffices for all parameter values.
- Linear control techniques can be applied in the lifted space and then pulled back to the original nonlinear coordinates.
Where Pith is reading between the lines
- The same eigenfunction construction may allow data-driven Koopman approximations to be trained once and then evaluated at new parameter values without retraining.
- The continuous dependence result suggests that small parameter perturbations produce only small changes in the linear model, which could be useful for robust controller design.
- The framework could be tested numerically on standard benchmark systems such as the van der Pol oscillator with a tunable damping parameter.
Load-bearing premise
The nonlinear system possesses a globally exponentially stable equilibrium point.
What would settle it
A concrete parameterized system with a globally exponentially stable equilibrium for which no finite collection of Koopman eigenfunctions produces a continuous-in-parameter finite-dimensional linearization.
read the original abstract
The Koopman operator framework enables global analysis of nonlinear systems through its inherent linearity. This study aims to clarify spectral properties of the Koopman operators for nonlinear systems with control inputs. To this end, we treat the inputs as parameters throughout this paper. We then introduce the Koopman operator for a parameterized dynamical system with a globally exponentially stable equilibrium point and analyze how eigenfunctions of the operator depend on the parameter. As a main result, we obtain a global linearization, which enables one to transform the nonlinear system into a finite-dimensional linear system, and we show that it depends continuously on the parameter. Subsequently, for a control-affine system, we investigate a condition under which the transformation providing a global bilinearization does not depend on the parameter. This provides the condition under which the global bilinearization for the control-affine system is independent of the parameter.
Editorial analysis
A structured set of objections, weighed in public.
Referee Report
Summary. The manuscript develops a Koopman-operator framework for parameterized nonlinear systems possessing a globally exponentially stable equilibrium. It analyzes the parameter dependence of eigenfunctions and claims to obtain a global linearization that converts the nonlinear dynamics into a finite-dimensional linear system whose matrix depends continuously on the parameter. For control-affine systems an additional condition is derived under which the global bilinearization is parameter-independent.
Significance. If the finite-dimensional global linearization and its continuous parameter dependence can be established rigorously, the work would extend Koopman theory to parameterized families in a manner useful for robust analysis and control. The exploitation of global exponential stability to guarantee eigenfunction properties is a natural starting point, and the parameter-independence condition for bilinearization is a concrete contribution.
major comments (2)
- [Abstract and §3] Abstract and §3 (main theorem): the central claim that GES alone yields an exact finite-dimensional linearization is not justified. For generic C^1 nonlinearities the Koopman operator on C^1 or L^2 spaces has infinite spectrum; the state observables therefore need not lie in a finite-dimensional invariant subspace. An explicit structural hypothesis (e.g., polynomial vector field of bounded degree or finite-dimensional Lie algebra) must be stated and used; without it the finite-dimensional truncation is not guaranteed.
- [§4] §4 (continuity result): the asserted continuous dependence of the linearization matrix on the parameter is stated without an explicit function space, norm, or modulus of continuity. The proof sketch should identify the topology on the space of eigenfunctions and verify that the truncation error remains controlled uniformly in a neighborhood of each parameter value.
minor comments (2)
- [§2] The notation for the parameterized vector field f(x,μ) and the precise domain of the Koopman operator should be introduced before the first theorem.
- [Introduction] Add a short comparison paragraph with existing finite-dimensional Koopman results (e.g., for polynomial or bilinear systems) to clarify the novelty of the parameter-continuous case.
Simulated Author's Rebuttal
We thank the referee for the thorough review and valuable comments on our manuscript. We address each major point below and will make the necessary revisions to strengthen the rigor of the claims.
read point-by-point responses
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Referee: [Abstract and §3] Abstract and §3 (main theorem): the central claim that GES alone yields an exact finite-dimensional linearization is not justified. For generic C^1 nonlinearities the Koopman operator on C^1 or L^2 spaces has infinite spectrum; the state observables therefore need not lie in a finite-dimensional invariant subspace. An explicit structural hypothesis (e.g., polynomial vector field of bounded degree or finite-dimensional Lie algebra) must be stated and used; without it the finite-dimensional truncation is not guaranteed.
Authors: We agree that global exponential stability alone does not guarantee a finite-dimensional invariant subspace for the state observables under the Koopman operator for arbitrary C^1 systems. The manuscript's main result relies on the existence of a finite set of eigenfunctions that span the observables, which implicitly requires additional structure on the vector field. In the revised version, we will explicitly introduce a structural hypothesis (e.g., that the nonlinear vector field is polynomial of bounded degree, ensuring that monomials up to a certain order form an invariant subspace, or that the Lie algebra generated by the dynamics is finite-dimensional). This will be stated clearly in the abstract, introduction, and §3, and the main theorem will be restated under this assumption to make the finite-dimensional global linearization rigorous. revision: yes
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Referee: [§4] §4 (continuity result): the asserted continuous dependence of the linearization matrix on the parameter is stated without an explicit function space, norm, or modulus of continuity. The proof sketch should identify the topology on the space of eigenfunctions and verify that the truncation error remains controlled uniformly in a neighborhood of each parameter value.
Authors: We acknowledge that the continuity argument in §4 requires greater precision regarding the underlying function spaces and topologies. In the revision, we will specify that we work in the Banach space of C^1 functions equipped with the C^1 norm (or suitable weighted Sobolev spaces that exploit the global exponential stability to ensure integrability at infinity). We will detail the topology on the eigenfunctions, invoke standard perturbation results for the parameter-dependent Koopman operator to establish continuous dependence of the eigenfunctions, and prove that the truncation error to the finite-dimensional subspace remains uniformly bounded in a neighborhood of each parameter value by controlling the remainder terms via the GES decay rate. revision: yes
Circularity Check
No significant circularity; derivation relies on standard Koopman spectral properties under GES
full rationale
The paper introduces the Koopman operator for parameterized systems possessing a globally exponentially stable equilibrium, then analyzes eigenfunction dependence on the parameter to obtain a global linearization into a finite-dimensional linear system with continuous parameter dependence. This chain rests on established existence results for Koopman eigenfunctions under GES (invoked as the weakest assumption) rather than any self-definitional loop, fitted-input prediction, or load-bearing self-citation. The subsequent bilinearization condition for control-affine systems is likewise derived from the same operator framework without reducing to its own inputs by construction. The derivation is therefore self-contained against external Koopman theory benchmarks.
Axiom & Free-Parameter Ledger
axioms (2)
- domain assumption The nonlinear system possesses a globally exponentially stable equilibrium point.
- standard math The Koopman operator is well-defined on a suitable function space for the parameterized dynamical system.
Lean theorems connected to this paper
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IndisputableMonolith/Foundation/RealityFromDistinction.leanreality_from_one_distinction unclear?
unclearRelation between the paper passage and the cited Recognition theorem.
Theorem 4: ... there exists a diffeomorphism ψu ... such that d/dt ψu(x) = Au ψu(x) ... ψui continuous in Ck(X) norm
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IndisputableMonolith/Foundation/AlexanderDuality.leanalexander_duality_circle_linking unclear?
unclearRelation between the paper passage and the cited Recognition theorem.
Theorem 5: ... isomorphism between {F,G1,...,Gd}L and {A,B1,...,Bd}L yields global bilinearization ż = Az + Σ ui Biz
What do these tags mean?
- matches
- The paper's claim is directly supported by a theorem in the formal canon.
- supports
- The theorem supports part of the paper's argument, but the paper may add assumptions or extra steps.
- extends
- The paper goes beyond the formal theorem; the theorem is a base layer rather than the whole result.
- uses
- The paper appears to rely on the theorem as machinery.
- contradicts
- The paper's claim conflicts with a theorem or certificate in the canon.
- unclear
- Pith found a possible connection, but the passage is too broad, indirect, or ambiguous to say the theorem truly supports the claim.
Forward citations
Cited by 1 Pith paper
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On Koopman Resolvents and Frequency Response of Nonlinear Systems
Frequency response for nonlinear systems is defined as the Laplace transform of the output in the Koopman resolvent framework, with existence conditions given for three classes of dynamics.
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