A second order analysis of the periodic solutions for nonlinear periodic differential systems with a small parameter (Q2428005)

Consider the differential system \[ {dx\over dt}= F_0(t,x)+\varepsilon F_1(t,x)+ \varepsilon^2 f_2(t,x)+ \varepsilon^3 R(t,x,\varepsilon),\tag{\(*\)} \] where \(\varepsilon\) is a small parameter, \(F_0,F_1,F_2: \mathbb{R}\times\Omega\to \mathbb{R}^n\) and \(R: \mathbb{R}\times \Omega\times(-\varepsilon_1, \varepsilon_1)\to \mathbb{R}^n\) are \(C^2\)-functions, \(T\)-periodic in the first variable, and \(\Omega\subset\mathbb{R}^n\) is open. Basic hypothesis: There exists a \(k\)-dimensional submanifold of \(\Omega\) \((k\leq n)\) whose points are initial values of \(T\)-periodic solutions of the unperturbed system \[ {dx\over dt}= F_0(t,x).\tag{\(**\)} \] The authors study those periodic solutions of \((**)\) which can be continued to the perturbed system \((*)\) for sufficiently small \(\varepsilon\). It is known that the problem under consideration is equivalent to the study of zeroes of some bifurcation functions. The authors derive an expression for the bifurcation function of second-order in \(\varepsilon\) and prove that a simple zero of this function implies a \(T\)-periodic solution of \((*)\) for sufficiently small \(\varepsilon\), provided the bifurcation function of first-order in \(\varepsilon\) vanishes identically. The proof is based on the Lyapunov-Schmidt method. Two applications are presented.