Convergence analysis of $L^{p+1}$-normalized gradient flow for action ground state of nonlinear Schr\"odinger equation

Abstract

This paper presents a rigorous convergence analysis of the $L^{p+1}$-normalized gradient flow with asymptotic Lagrange multiplier (GFALM) method for computing the action ground state of the nonlinear Schr\"odinger equation in the focusing case. First, a general global convergence theory is established for the semi-discrete GFALM scheme, guaranteeing the existence of an accumulation point and a convergent subsequence. Then, under additional non-degeneracy assumptions, a local exponential convergence rate is rigorously proven. This result is further extended to the fully discrete case using a Fourier pseudo-spectral discretization. The analysis is achieved by characterizing the local geometry of the $L^{p+1}$-constrained manifold near the ground state, establishing a quadratic growth property of the energy functional, and deriving a \L{}ojasiewicz-type gradient inequality. Finally, the paper also investigates the exponential convergence of the associated continuous-time gradient flow, providing a theoretical foundation for future numerical discretizations. This work extends existing convergence analyses for energy ground states, addressing the challenges posed by the $L^{p+1}$ constraint, especially the absence of an inner-product structure.