Limit cycles in uniform isochronous centers of discontinuous differential systems with four zones (Q2364734)

Consider a family of systems of quadratic differential equations on \({\mathbb R}^2\) for which each element when restricted to the \(j\)th quadrant has the form \[ \dot x = -y + x^2 + \varepsilon p^j(x,y),\quad \dot y = x + xy + \varepsilon q^j(x,y), \] where the \(p^j\) (respectively the \(q^j\)) are possibly distinct quadratic polynomials without constant terms. Thus each member of the family is a quadratic system with possible rays of discontinuity the positive and negative \(x\)- and \(y\)-axes. The system (O) corresponding to \(\varepsilon = 0\) is the unique quadratic system having a uniform isochronous center at the origin (in polar coordinates \(\dot r = k \in {\mathbb R} \setminus \{ 0 \}\)). The authors prove that for \(| \varepsilon | > 0\) sufficiently small there exist systems in the family that have at least ten limit cycles bifurcating from the period annulus of system (O). Replacing system (O) by the cubic system \(\dot x = -y + x^2 y\), \(\dot y = x + xy^2\), which also has a uniform isochronous center at the origin, and the quadratic family by an analogous cubic family \[ \dot x = -y + x^2y + \varepsilon r^j(x,y),\quad \dot y = x + xy^2 + \varepsilon s^j(x,y), \] they show that there are elements of the latter family with at least twelve limit cycles. The theory of averaging is used to prove each theorem.