Universal Approximation Theorems for Dynamical Systems with Infinite-Time Horizon Guarantees

Abstract

Universal approximation theorems establish the expressive capacity of neural network architectures. For dynamical systems, existing results are limited to finite time horizons or systems with a globally stable equilibrium, leaving multistability and limit cycles unaddressed. We prove that Neural ODEs achieve $\varepsilon$-$\delta$ closeness -- trajectories within error $\varepsilon$ except for initial conditions of measure $< \delta$ -- over the \emph{infinite} time horizon $[0,\infty)$ for three target classes: (1) Morse-Smale systems (a structurally stable class) with hyperbolic fixed points, (2) Morse-Smale systems with hyperbolic limit cycles via exact period matching, and (3) systems with normally hyperbolic continuous attractors via discretization. We further establish a temporal generalization bound: $\varepsilon$-$\delta$ closeness implies $L^p$ error $\leq \varepsilon^p + \delta \cdot D^p$ for all $t \geq 0$, bridging topological guarantees to training metrics. These results provide the first universal approximation framework for multistable infinite-horizon dynamics.