Orbitally symmetric systems with applications to planar centers (Q2054160)

The authors consider smooth autonomous vector fields \(\mathcal{X}\) defined in an open set \(U \subseteq \mathbb{R}^n\) and generalize the well-known definitions of symmetry. They say that \(\mathcal{X}\) is orbitally \(\varphi\)-symmetric if there exists \(F:U \to \mathbb{R}\) a continuous function and an involution \(\varphi: U \to U\) such that \[ D\varphi \cdot \mathcal{X} \, = \, F \, \mathcal{X} \circ \varphi. \] When \(F\) is constant and equal to \(1\) they recover the definition of \(\varphi\)-reversibility and when \(F\) is constant and equal to \(-1\) they recover the definition of \(\varphi\)-equivariance. \newline Their first main theorem establishes that a vector field \(\mathcal{X}\) is orbitally \(\varphi\)-symmetric if, and only if, \(\mathcal{X}\) is orbitally \(\varphi\)-reversible or orbitally \(\varphi\)-equivariant. \par The use of these symmetries is classically for the determination that an equilibrium point is a center (or an integrable saddle). The second main result of the paper shows how this new definition allows the same use. \par Finally, the authors study the number of limit cycles of small amplitude that can bifurcate from an equilibrium point of monodromic type. In the class of polynomial vector fields of degree \(n\), the maximum number of such limit cycles is denoted by \(M(n)\). The third main result of the paper is that \(M(6) \geq 48\).