On the number of limit cycles bifurcating from the linear center with an algebraic switching curve (Q2156322)

In this paper, the authors consider the perturbations of the linear center \(\dot x = y\), \(\dot y=-x\) under arbitrary polynomial perturbations of degree \(n\) with switching curve \(y = x^m\), where \(m\) is a positive integer. By analyzing the first order Melnikov function, they obtain the lower bound and upper bound of the maximum number of limit cycles bifurcating from any compact region of the period annulus if the first order Melnikov function is not identically \(0\). Specially, when \(m=n\), both the lower bound and upper bound grows quadratically with \(n\).