Higher order Melnikov function for a quartic Hamiltonian with cuspidal loop (Q1848990)

The authors consider the polynomial perturbations \[ X_{\varepsilon}=X_H+ \varepsilon f(x,y,\varepsilon)\frac{\partial}{\partial x}+ \varepsilon g(x,y,\varepsilon)\frac{\partial}{\partial y}, \] where \(f(x,y,\varepsilon)\) and \(g(x,y,\varepsilon)\) are polynomials in \(x,y\) with coefficients depending analytically on the small parameter \(\varepsilon\), \(n=\max \{\deg f(x,y,\varepsilon),\deg g(x,y,\varepsilon)\}\), of the polynomial Hamiltonian vector field \(X_H=H_y\frac{\partial}{\partial x}-H_x\frac{\partial}{\partial y}\), where the Hamiltonian \(H(x,y)=\frac{1}{2}y^2+U(x)\) has one center and one cuspidal loop and \(\deg U(x)=4\). Here, an upper bound for the number of zeros of the \(k\)th-order Melnikov function \(M_k(h)\) for arbitrary polynomials \(f(x,y,\varepsilon)\) and \(g(x,y,\varepsilon)\) is found in terms of \(k\) and \(n\). This estimate allows one to determine the number of limit cycles of \(X_{\varepsilon}\) emerging from periodic orbits of the unperturbed Hamiltonian system \(X_H\).