Pseudo-abelian integrals: unfolding generic exponential case (Q1040614)

Consider a planar integrable system with a first integral \(H(x,y)\) and assume that this system has a period annulus. We denote by \(\gamma(h)\) the oval of the \(h\)-level curve of the first integral in the period annulus. Consider a \(1\)-form \(\omega \, = \, S_1(x,y) \, dx \, - \, S_2(x,y) \, dy\) and the function (of \(h\)) defined by \(\int_{\gamma(h)} \omega\). In the particular case that \(H(x,y)\), \(S_1(x,y)\) and \(S_2(x,y)\) are polynomials, we say that \(\int_{\gamma(h)} \omega\) is an Abelian integral. The tangential Hilbert problem asks for a uniform upper bound on the number of isolated zeros of an Abelian integral in terms of the degrees of the polynomials \(H\), \(S_1\) and \(S_2\). The existence of such an upper bound has been proved by \textit{A. N. Varchenko} [Funkts. Anal. Prilozh. 18, No.~2, 14--25 (1984; Zbl 0545.58038)] [see also, Funct. Anal. Appl. 18, 98--108 (1984; Zbl 0578.58035) and \textit{A. G. Khovanskiĭ}, Funct. Anal. Appl. 18, 119--127 (1984); translation from Funkts. Anal. Prilozh. 18, No.~2, 40--50 (1984; Zbl 0584.32016)]. The linear part of the Poincaré map of a polynomial perturbation of a planar integrable system is given by the Abelian integral \(I(h)\). Thus, in any compact subset \(K\) of the considered period annulus, the limit cycles bifurcating in \(K\), for small values of the perturbation parameter, are given by the isolated zeros of \(I(h)\). The paper [\textit{M. Bobieński} and \textit{P. Mardešić}, Proc. Lond. Math. Soc. (3) 97, No.~3, 669--688 (2008; Zbl 1171.34023)] refers to a more general case in which the considered first integral is of Darboux-type \[ H(x,y) \, = \, \prod_{j=1}^{k} P_j^{a_j}, \qquad a_j \in \mathbb{R}_{+}, \, P_j \in \mathbb{R}[x,y]. \] The related integral is \[ I(h) \, = \, \int_{\gamma(h)} \frac{S_1(x,y) \, dx \, - \, S_2(x,y) \, dy}{\prod_{j=1}^{k} P_j}, \] and it is called a pseudo-Abelian integral. In that paper, and under generic assumptions, the authors prove the existence of a uniform local bound for the number of zeros of these pseudo-Abelian integrals. The present paper provides an analogous result when considering generalized Darboux first integrals \[ H_0(x,y) \, = \, e^{R/Q} \prod_{j=1}^{k} P_j^{a_j}, \qquad a_j \in \mathbb{R}_{+}, \, P_j, Q, R \in \mathbb{R}[x,y]. \] The factor \(e^{R/Q}\) is called exponential factor and it was introduced in [\textit{C. J. Christopher}, Proc. R. Soc. Edinb., Sect. A 124, No.~6, 1209--1229 (1994; Zbl 0821.34023; see also \textit{C. Christopher, J. Llibre} and \textit{J. V. Pereira}, Pac. J. Math. 229, No.~1, 63--117 (2007; Zbl 1160.34003)]. Christopher showed its appearance as the result of the coalescense of several invariant algebraic curves. Given two polynomials \(R\) and \(Q\) and \(\varepsilon\) a real number different from zero, the product of polynomials \((Q+\varepsilon R)^{1/\varepsilon} Q^{-1/\varepsilon}\) gives \(e^{R/Q}\) when \(\varepsilon \to 0\), in a generic case. Thus, one of the main ideas of the paper is to unfold the first integral \(H_0\) (together with the corresponding pseudo-Abelian integral) by \[ H_{\varepsilon,\alpha} \, = \, Q^{\alpha-1/\varepsilon} (Q+\varepsilon R)^{1/\varepsilon} \prod_{j=1}^{k} P_j^{a_j}, \] where \(\alpha, \varepsilon\) are two real numbers. If one denotes by \(\gamma_{\varepsilon, \alpha}(h)\) the oval of the \(h\)-level curve of the first integral \(H_{\varepsilon,\alpha}\) in the period annulus, which also depends on \(\varepsilon\) and \(\alpha\), the related integral is \[ I_{\varepsilon,\alpha}(h) \, = \, \int_{\gamma_{\varepsilon, \alpha}(h)} \frac{S_1(x,y) \, dx \, - \, S_2(x,y) \, dy}{Q(Q+\varepsilon R)\prod_{j=1}^{k} P_j}, \] which is still called a pseudo-Abelian integral. The main result of the paper states that, under generic assumptions, for any value \(n\) of the maximum degree of the polynomials \(S_1\) and \(S_2\), there exists an \(\varepsilon_{0}>0\) and an upper bound \(N\), depending on \(H_0\) and \(n\) only, such that for any \(|\varepsilon|\) and \(|\alpha|<\varepsilon_0\) and for any \(S_1\) and \(S_2\), the number of isolated zeros of the pseudo-Abelian integral \(I_{\varepsilon,\alpha}(h)\) in the corresponding period annulus defined by the nest of cycles \(\gamma_{\varepsilon, \alpha}(h)\) is at most \(N\).