Regularization of discontinuous vector fields in dimension three

Abstract

In this paper vector fields around the origin in dimension three which are approximations of discontinuous ones are studied. In a former work of Sotomayor and Teixeira [6] it is shown, via regularization, that Filippov's conditions are the natural ones to extend the orbit solutions through the discontinuity set for vector fields in dimension two. In this paper we show that this is also the case for discontinuous vector fields in dimension three. Moreover, we analyse the qualitative dynamics of the local flow in a neighborhood of the codimension zero regular and singular points of the discontinuity surface.