Periodic orbits for a class of reversible quadratic vector field on \(\mathbb R^{3}\) (Q2642190)

The periodic orbits that bifurcate from a heteroclinic loop in a class of reversible quadratic vector fields on \(\mathbb{R}^3\) are studied in this paper. The considered heteroclinic loop \(\mathcal{L}\) has two singular points at infinity connected by two invariant straight lines, one in the finite part and the other at infinity. The real quadratic system taken into account is: \[ \begin{aligned} \dot{x}&= a_0 + a_1 y + a_4 y^2 + a_5 z^2+ \varepsilon(a_2 x^2+a_3 x z), \\ \dot{y}&= b_1 z + b_3 y z + \varepsilon b_2 x y, \\ \dot{z}& = c_1 y + c_4 z^2+\varepsilon c_2 x z, \end{aligned} \tag{1} \] where \(a_0<0\), \(b_1 c_1 <0\), \(b_2<a_2<0\), \(a_4>0\), \(c_2<a_2\), \(b_3 \not\in \{c_4, 4c_4\}\) and \(\varepsilon\) is the perturbation parameter. The main result of the paper states that for all \(n \in \mathbb{N}\), there exists an \(\varepsilon_n>0\) sufficiently small such that the corresponding system (1) has at least \(n\) periodic orbits near the heteroclinic loop \(\mathcal{L}\). \newline The main tools used to prove this result are the Poincaré compactification and the use of reversibility to find periodic orbits. Both tools are described in the paper and the most important references related to them are also included. We denote by \(\mathcal{X}_\varepsilon\) the vector field associated to system (1) and we remark that \(\mathcal{X}_\varepsilon\) is \(\varphi\)-reversible with \(\varphi(x,y,z)=(-x,y,-z)\), that is, \(\varphi_{\ast}(\mathcal{X}_\varepsilon)=-\mathcal{X}_\varepsilon \circ \varphi\). \newline The following results are also given. 1. For \(\varepsilon>0\), the vector field \(\mathcal{X}_\varepsilon\) associated to system (1) satisfies: (a) the straight line \(\{(x,0,0): x \in \mathbb{R}\}\) is an invariant line without singular points and the flow goes in the decreasing direction of the \(x\)-axis; (b) the set \(\{(z_1,0,0)\}\) on the chart \(U_2\) on the Poincaré ball is an invariant straight line without singular points and the flow goes in the increasing direction of the \(z_1\)-axis; (c) in the chart \(U_1\) the point \(p=(0,0,0)\) is a hyperbolic singular point, the plane \(\{(z_1,z_2,0)\}\) is its local stable manifold and the line \(\{(0,0,z_3)\}\) is its unstable manifold; (d) \(\mathcal{X}_\varepsilon\) has the heteroclinic loop \(\mathcal{L}\) formed by the straight line \(\{(x,0,0)\}\) in \(\mathbb{R}^3\), two singular points \(\{(0,0,0)\}\) of the Poincaré ball in the charts \(U_1\) and \(V_1\), and the straight line \(\{(z_1,0,0)\}\) on the chart \(U_2\) on the Poincaré ball. 2. The previous statement is also true for the system \[ \begin{aligned} \dot{x}&= a_0 + a_1 y + a_4 y^2 + a_5 z^2+ \varepsilon(a_2 x^2+a_3 x z), \\ \dot{y}&= b_1 z + b_3 y z + \varepsilon b_2 x y, \\ \dot{z}&= c_1 y + c_3 y^2+ c_4 z^2+\varepsilon c_2 x z, \end{aligned} \tag{2} \] where \(a_0<0\), \(b_1 c_1 <0\), \(b_2<a_2<0\), \((a_3-c_4)^2-4a_5(a_2-c_2)<0\), \(c_2<a_2\), \(a_5(a_2-b_2)-(a_3-b_3)^2/4>0\) and \(a_4(a_5+a_2-b_2)>0\) (or \(a_4=0\)). 3. For \(\varepsilon=0\), the vector field \(\mathcal{X}_0\) associated to system (1) has invariant cylinders surrounding the \(x\)-axis and the restriction of \(\mathcal{X}_0\) to \(x=0\) has a nonisochronous center at the origin. 4. Let \(\mathcal{Y}_\varepsilon\) be any quadratic vector field in \(\mathbb{R}^3\) such that \(\mathcal{Y}_\varepsilon\) is \(\varphi\)-reversible, \(\mathcal{Y}_\varepsilon\) has a heteroclinic loop \(\mathcal{L}\) on the Poincaré ball as in the first statement for \(\varepsilon>0\), \(\mathcal{Y}_0\) has invariant cylinders surrounding the \(x\)-axis and the restriction of \(\mathcal{Y}_0\) to \(x=0\) has a nonisochronous center at the origin. Then, the most general \(\mathcal{Y}_\varepsilon\) with these properties is the vector field \(\mathcal{X}_\varepsilon\) associated to system (1).