Homotopy classes for stable periodic and chaotic patterns in fourth-order Hamiltonian systems (Q5940527)

This paper is devoted to the periodic and chaotic solutions of Hamiltonian systems in \(R^4\). The authors show that, in the presence of two saddle-focus equilibria, minimizing solutions respect the topology of the configuration plane punctured at these points. They prove that minimizers of every homotopy type exist and characterize their topological properties. To this end the authors consider the curves in an appropriate covering space of this doubly punctured plane.