On convergence of solutions to difference equations with additive perturbations

Abstract

Various types of stabilizing controls lead to a deterministic difference equation with the following property: once the initial value is positive, the solution tends to the unique positive equilibrium. Introducing additive perturbations can change this picture: we give examples of difference equations experiencing additive perturbations which have solutions staying around zero rather than tending to the unique positive equilibrium. When perturbations are stochastic with a bounded support, we give an upper estimate for the probability that the solution can stay around zero. Applying extra conditions on the behavior of the map function $f$ at zero or on the amplitudes of stochastic perturbations, we prove that the solution tends to the unique positive equilibrium almost surely. In particular, this holds either for all amplitudes when the right derivative of the map $f$ at zero exceeds one or, independently of the behavior of $f$ at zero, when the amplitudes are not square summable.