Integrability of planar polynomial differential systems through linear differential equations (Q2477833)

Let \(\chi\) be a polynomial vector field of degree \(d\) on \(\mathbb{R}^2\), i.e. a vector field of the form \[ \chi = P(x,y) \frac{\partial}{\partial x} + Q(x,y) \frac{\partial}{\partial y}, \tag{1} \] where \(P\) and \(Q\) are coprime polynomials in the ring \(\mathbb{R}[x,y]\) and \(d = \max \{\deg P, \deg Q\}\). The authors present a method to construct vector fields of the type (1) for which a first integral can be expressed from two independent solutions of the second-order homogeneous linear differential equation \[ A_2(x) \frac{d^2 w}{dx^2} + A_1(x) \frac{d w}{dx} + A_0(x) w = 0, \tag{2} \] where \(A_i(x)\) are rational functions, \(A_2(x) \not\equiv 0\). They also obtain analogous results for the first-order homogeneous linear differential equation \[ \frac{d w}{dx} + A(x) w = 0, \tag{3} \] where \(A(x)\) is a rational function. The authors show that all the known families of quadratic (\(d=2\)) vector fields (1) with an irreducible invariant algebraic curve of arbitrary high degree and without a rational first integral, can be constructed by using this method. They give a new example of this kind: a 2-parameter family of quadratic vector fields (1), where one of two parameters is a natural number \(n\), and the field exhibits an irreducible invariant algebraic curve of degree \(n\). An explicit expression for a first integral of this vector fields through two independent solutions of the equation (2) is given. The authors give the explicit expression for the first integral of (1) by means of an invariant function of the field (a function \(f=f(x,y)\) is an invariant for (1) if \(P f'_x + Q f'_y = kf\), where \(k=k(x,y)\) is a polynomial, \(\deg k <d\)). An example of a 3-parameter family of quadratic vector fields (1) with a center at the origin which has a first integral constructed from the equation (3) is presented.