Positive top Lyapunov exponent via invariant cones: Single trajectories

We establish criteria for the positivity of the top Lyapunov exponent of a nonautonomous dynamics in terms of invariant cone families, both for maps and flows. The families of cones are associated with quadratic forms of type (k, p - k) with k arbitrary. Our work can be seen as a counterpart of results in the context of ergodic theory, where the positivity of the top Lyapunov exponent is obtained for almost all trajectories although saying nothing about each specific trajectory. (C) 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.