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arxiv: 2604.04711 · v1 · submitted 2026-04-06 · 🧮 math.DS · cs.SY· eess.SY

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

classification 🧮 math.DS cs.SYeess.SY
keywords Koopman operatorglobal linearizationparameterized nonlinear systemseigenfunctionscontrol-affine systemsdynamical systemsstable equilibrium
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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.

The paper treats control inputs as fixed parameters and applies the Koopman operator to nonlinear dynamical systems that possess a globally exponentially stable equilibrium. It establishes that the eigenfunctions of this operator furnish a coordinate change transforming the original nonlinear flow into an equivalent finite-dimensional linear system. The construction is shown to vary continuously with the chosen parameter value. For the special case of control-affine systems the authors further identify a sufficient condition under which the resulting bilinear representation becomes independent of the parameter.

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

These are editorial extensions of the paper, not claims the author makes directly.

  • 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.

Desk editor's note, referee report, simulated authors' rebuttal, and a circularity audit. Tearing a paper down is the easy half of reading it; the pith above is the substance, this is the friction.

Referee Report

2 major / 2 minor

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)
  1. [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.
  2. [§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)
  1. [§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.
  2. [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

2 responses · 0 unresolved

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
  1. 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

  2. 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

0 steps flagged

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

0 free parameters · 2 axioms · 0 invented entities

The central claim rests on the existence of the Koopman operator for the parameterized flow and on the global exponential stability of the equilibrium; no free parameters or invented entities are introduced in the abstract.

axioms (2)
  • domain assumption The nonlinear system possesses a globally exponentially stable equilibrium point.
    Invoked to guarantee the existence and analytic properties of the Koopman eigenfunctions and the global linearization.
  • standard math The Koopman operator is well-defined on a suitable function space for the parameterized dynamical system.
    Standard background assumption in Koopman operator theory.

pith-pipeline@v0.9.0 · 5456 in / 1452 out tokens · 38791 ms · 2026-05-10T19:54:46.266010+00:00 · methodology

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Forward citations

Cited by 1 Pith paper

Reviewed papers in the Pith corpus that reference this work. Sorted by Pith novelty score.

  1. On Koopman Resolvents and Frequency Response of Nonlinear Systems

    eess.SY 2026-03 unverdicted novelty 6.0

    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.

Reference graph

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